The Hunt Never Ends
by Ed419
Summary: Set in the years leading towards Arthas' destruction of Quel'Thalas the story follows the life of Vespias Firstlight. Born in the shadows of the Amani Trolls she is raised to be a village hunter but is thrust into the coming war. As an officer in Sylvanas Windrunner's Rangers she is tested on every level until before the final battle she is forced into a role she never wanted.


July 13, 2012

The Hunt Never Ends

Chapter 1:

A Somewhat Blessed Event

A soft rain pelted the forest that day, drops gathering in the folds of leaves before dropping to the moss carpeted ground below. It came in the midst of a rather scorching summer when even walking from one room to the next would be a chore. The entire village had heart-felt sympathies for poor Vashnir, pregnant with her first child and wallowing about in a heat induced stupor through most of the days. Vash was considered to be very beautiful among the women of the village. Being a High Elf gave her all the qualities one would expect to see. The high cheekbones that would frame a smile perfectly, the strong jaw and chin, and those wonderfully long eyebrows, fluttering well past the edges of her face. Long, braided chestnut brown hair with a touch of red completed a classic elvish face. Her body was also very elvish yet not. Most of the elven women were far too thin but not Vash. She was proportionally elegant in her frame, strong where she needed to be yet still soft and feminine to the touch. And now, with her first child due to make an appearance any day now, she carried the extra weight with that strength with no problem.

Her husband Vesperis tried his best to be a good, helpful husband but he had even less of a clue than Vash did. Of course she would tell him how she felt but he couldn't even begin to imagine it. He was a hunter, a man who shoved his rather large frame into cramped blinds along game trails. There he would sit, quietly waiting sometimes hours for his quarry to wander into his sights. He stood well over six feet, bronzed from the sun and usually very unkempt looking. He would often sport a scraggly beard, not grown but not shaved either. His hair was short yet very blond. He kept it short so that it would be easier to find and remove all the little things that would crawl about in there during his stay in the forests. His body was lean and hard, a perfect frame for a hunter and covered in scars. Most were small and quite normal for one who spends his days in the forest yet there were three long deep scars that ran across his chest, a reminder that not all lions were happy to be in his company. And yet he still couldn't fathom the pain his wife, the woman he had pledged to protect and keep from harm felt. But today Vash felt...different.

Today she felt restless and lethargic at the same time. She wandered from the room she and Vesperis shared their nights in to the room they had made for their child. Her hand lovingly caressed the edge of the cradle that Ves had made, gently setting it in a swinging motion. Her mother had supplied over a dozen cloth pieces such as bunting wraps and diapers. Vash herself was an accomplished, imaginative leatherworker who could take a hide that most others would throw in a scrap heap and create a useful piece of armor from it. She had five blankets at the ready from deep woolen ones for the colder months to a brilliant kaliri feather blanket for the heated months like these.

Her mother noticed her restlessness and knew from experience her grandchild would be arriving soon. Vash was her fourth child out of nine. Vash's parents were from the "old order" of elvish society, holding many secrets as to the beginning of the elves time on Azeroth. At least her mother did. Her father did as well but refused to be a part of "those namby-pamby intellects" in Silvermoon's Council. He preferred the outdoor life, a good pipe, and his family. Her mother also knew a thing or two about childbirth so Ves felt comfortable enough with her there to attempt a quick hunt. He left right before the dawn with Vash's father and two of her brothers. A few of the other villagers had spotted a herd of shoveltusk moving slowly along the forest edge a day earlier and he knew they still had a lot of grazing before that area was depleted. The group silently made their way to a spot Ves knew would yield the best gains.

Yava, Vash's mother, made her way quietly to the small garden outside, delicately avoiding flowers and the occasional wet chicken that would speed by.

"Galor" she said softly, "pick up your father's trail and bring Vesperis back with all haste. Tell him I said Vash is ready. Bring Seva in case you lose their trail."

She smiled to herself as the wide-eyed boy ran off towards the forest on his quest with a large black panther running by his side. Her smile faded as she turned and saw Vash standing there, a bright crimson stain of blood covering the front of her gown. Her eyes pleaded and all she could say was "mother" before she collapsed to the ground.

The young elf was strong thank the heavens. The local healer had been summoned and was now preparing to help the new child into the world. It seems that it was refusing to cooperate by turning the right way and instead kicked and fussed, angry at the healer's attempts to turn it. Vash would go in and out of consciousness, screaming when she was out and mumbling curses when she was in. Vesperis circled the room like a predatory cat until Yava chased him away with threats of a broom attack. Reluctantly he stepped out into the garden where his father-in-law sat smoking his pipe calmly. He remained highly agitated, pacing with worry along the garden path. He could stare down a hungry tiger or a wounded gorilla and not feel the worry he felt now. This emotion was far too much for him to deal with.

"Do you suppose she's alright Veron?" he asked while pausing mid-step. "I mean, suppose something is wrong. You don't think anything is wrong do you? Why is it so quiet in there?"

He resumed his agitated pacing, jerking his head around at every new sound that came from the house and fairly stripping a tree branch he had picked up in his nervousness of all bark. He sat and stood over and over and was now shredding the fibers from the branch.

"You need to relax yourself." the old man said. "I guess when you've seen this as often as I have it gets easier to do. Why not walk to the stables and check on the animals?"

Ves took the advice and was filling the water dishes of his stable when he heard Vash let out a loud, shrill scream. His head jerked around towards the sound and a second later he was leaping towards the door with the great cat Seva doing the same. Seva had been Ves' companion before he and Vash married. As far as the cat was concerned Vash was also her property and she would not sit still while she heard the elf scream like that. They both reached the doorway at the same time and the collision spilled them both onto the dirt path outside. Cursing in both elvish and growls they both sprinted towards the house once more. Just as they reached the door the healer stepped out, washing the blood from his hands. His entire shirt was covered in it as well and Ves felt panic for the first time in his life. He rocketed past the man and into the room his beloved wife was in.

In the dimly lit room he could see Vash, worn and spent like he'd never seen her before yet strangely smiling. She looked at him and then lovingly turned her gaze to the bundle in her arms. Ves looked at the squirming package as Vash motioned for him to come closer. When he stood above her she gently pulled the cover back.

"Say hello to your daughter." she said softly. "I can see already that she has your temperament. What will you name her?"

"Vespias." he said in a whisper. "After my grandmother. The story goes that she defended her home from a squad of trolls during the war with nothing but an old bow and three dozen arrows. That she would slip out during their retreats and recover them from the dead before the next assault happened. When my grandfather returned it was said she had a pile of fifty-six trolls in and around the yard. She gave my grandfather hell for not leaving a better bow behind so she could have gotten them all."

"It is this tenacity I will instill in the girl" he continued, "along with all I have learned of the ways of the forest. She will indeed be formidable when she grows."

Moments later, in front of his and Vash's family, their friends and fellow villagers, Vesperis lowered his daughter into the creek, the cool water rushing over her body, washing away the remnants of the trauma of birth. He turned and lifted her high above his head...

"Behold Elune!" he yelled. "Behold what we have done. Bless my child with your grace, beauty, and wisdom. Guide her through life when we cannot be there to do so. Keep her from harm both physical and heart-felt. Do this for your loyal subjects."

The entire village erupted in celebration as Vash laid her new baby in the cradle and rocked it gently. Seva took what would be her place for the next few years at the foot of the cradle, lying quietly yet vigilant, ready to kill any and all who would bring harm to her new charge. Ves came and led his wife out to the sounds of music echoing through the village and up into the mountains behind them. The birth of a child in the village was always a cause for celebration as it made the entire community one person stronger. Even though the village of Suncrown was of significant size, there would always be room for more.

The singing and dancing went on till late that night, the smoke and embers of the fire following the sounds and smells of celebration climbed high into the mountain, into a hidden archway and into an old Amani sacrificial chamber. It had been abandoned after the Troll Wars had ended but on this night, in the gloom and darkness of the chamber, foul magic were at work and the soul of a newborn would be just enough mojo to bring life back to the Amani tribe. Life and revenge...

Chapter 2:

The Hounds Cry Havoc

Several days passed in relative peace and quiet for Vash and her husband. The baby Vespias would awaken every 4 hours as babies will do for her feedings. Vash didn't mind. After all, her milk was already making her baby grow...the child had the fattest, most pinchable cheeks of any infant she had ever seen. Vesperis would wake at each sound the child made and watch until both mother and daughter were satisfied. It was a golden time in his life and he didn't mind any loss of sleep. Now to those of us who knew the man, or to any of you who know anything about elvish men, you know that in that society, only family can bring about true happiness. Often the way we mortals look at elves is misinformed. We think of them as scholarly and prudish. Aloof and haughty. As I said, some of us know better and if you don't then allow me to set the story straight.

A house full of sounds and people rushing to and fro is a medley to a High Elf patriarch. Children underfoot, the smell of a grand feast being cooked, lots of arguing by siblings all searching for their personal space…to an elvish male, this is heaven. This is the best compliment they could pay to their Goddess Elune. To propagate, to live life…nay, to be truly alive, and to end their days surrounded by those who understood this way of life. But I stray too far. There is a tale I was telling of a single elf and we must return to it. Now where was I? Ahhh yes…

The heat had not dissipated by any means and each night was filled with the sounds of a million bugs all making their societal noises in frenzied attempts to find mates before their all too short lives ended. This night was no different and the sounds became background static to the young elf couple. They lay in their bed that night, too hot to sleep and watched as fireflies danced across the open windows of their small home. In the next room Seva tossed fitfully in her sleep, tortured by the constant buzzing of insects that chose to make her their final meal. Ves could hear her twitching and thought of how she came to him.

Seva was a sleek, coal-black panther that Ves had found as a cub. Her mother was killed by a rogue lion trying to protect her cubs. The old rogue had become too slow for the hunt and when he came across the small clutch of kittens he saw an easy meal. Seva was the only female in the litter of four and watched in horror as the old lion pounced into their hiding place. He killed her three brothers in seconds and was about to reach her when a flurry of black-coated fury streaked into the brush and knocked the old male to the side. She instinctively ran away from the fight to a safe distance and turned to see the vicious battle behind her. Though old and slow, the lion's greater bulk eventually got him the upper hand and Seva watched as its huge jaws clamped down on her mother's throat. The rogue limped away afterwards, blood running along the open rips on his sides and face and the kitten stayed there in hiding for three days before Vesperis found her. He took her home, bandaged and fed her, and to her, he was her new guardian, her new family.

It took Vesperis a good long time to remove himself from his dreaming and notice the myriad sounds of the night had quieted to silence in the area immediately around his home. With every sense now awakened he slipped from the bed quietly and moved towards his daughter's room. He hefted the great long bow that leaned against the wall in the corner and gently pushed the door to the room open. Seva was already awake and in a crouching position staring at the window. She didn't even turn to acknowledge her master yet she knew it was him. He silently walked till he caught her eye and gave her a "stay" command with his hand. Behind him Vash crept in and took up a position where she had the door and window covered by the crossbow she held. The cradle was only a few inches past three feet from the window yet nothing short of a ghost would be able to cross that area with Seva and Vash now on guard.

Vesperis slipped into the main room where his wife's family slept. Her father and mother were already awake as were three of her brothers. Each had armed themselves already and Vesperis motioned for his father-in-law and one of his sons to follow him. Yava instructed her sons in hushed whispers to guard the door and windows leading to the main room while she slipped back into the bedroom, putting her back to the doorway where her daughter and granddaughter were and trained her keen eyes on the windows. This was the way they had been trained by their parents to guard a home and their parents had learned it from _their_ parents and so on and so forth. While the High Elves did not seek war that is not to say they were not formidable foes.

Outside in the night air Ves stood crouched, motionless...every sense straining to find a sound or smell or a glimpse of movement. The long, elegant ears of the elves gave them much better hearing than any mortal and their almost magical eyes allowed them to see with minimal light, like a cat. After long minutes with no signs of anything unusual he motioned his party to stay where they were and silently made his way towards the stables. He did not need to hear or see anybody to know they were there. The forest told him and he knew his animals would find them. The pack was very well trained for they could hear his approach yet they remained quiet. It was nighttime, they had already been fed and he was moving slowly. They knew this was a hunt and no playtime. After several long minutes he finally reached the door to their kennel and slowly unlatched it. He watched as the hounds slipped out one by one and began sniffing the air. Within seconds they had located their quarry.

The night exploded with sounds, dogs baying and growling, the guttural curses of Amani warriors and holy men, the excited yelling of neighbors who had long been awake and silently waiting for the attack to start, and the blasts of shotguns mixed with the twang sounds of bows being let loose. Vesperis dropped two holy men who were trying to slip past the chaos towards his home while his father-in-law dispatched another. In the torchlights and fires that were now lit the elf could not believe the numbers of trolls that had gotten into the village. How had a party this large established themselves in the mountains with none of them in the village aware of it? And how long had they been there? He knew he needed to catch one alive.

In the house behind him an Amani warrior leapt through the open window to be greeted by Seva's powerful jaws and six inch canine teeth before his feet even touched the floorboards. As she snapped his neck her claws grabbed hold of the leg of the second troll to enter and held him long enough for Vash to put her bolt deep into his chest where the villain's black heart would be. Both trolls fell in a heap under the window waiting for more to add to its gory height. Together the great cat and the elf stopped every attempt at entry from that point on at the window opening, with no troll setting foot inside again. Her mother in the next room had put down several intruders on her own, aiming at every silhouette that filled the window, setting her shotgun's smoking barrel to being the last thing they would see in their miserable lives.

And just as quickly as it had started it was over. The Amani were turned back, hounds on their heels as they tried to escape back to the safety of their mountain. Ves took off running towards the sound of his pack whistling a shrill, sharp note as he ran. The pack heard this note and banded together to bring one last target down. He was a big troll but the combined pack had no trouble bringing him down and holding him until Vesperis arrived, his father-in-law right behind him.

"We'll get answers from this one" the older elf said, "or I'll cut his filthy tongue out and feed it to my ravens."

"You understood that didn't you?" continued the elf. "You know our language. Good!"

The look of contempt in the eyes of the troll confirmed that indeed, he knew the Thalassian language enough to know he was in trouble. The look never left his eyes even as the butt end of a shotgun closed them.

When they reopened the troll found himself bound to a chair, surrounded by a dozen or more elves. None of them looked to be in good spirits.

"What is your name troll?" demanded Vesperis. "Be quick with your answers as well."

"I am Pah'Nag" mumbled the troll, "Amani High Priest. Dat is all you need to be knowin' an' all I will be sayin'. You might kill me but you got no hope to kill us all. We will be reclaimin' dese lands an' returnin' our will upon them. You and your kind will be driven away, killed, or cursed to workin' in de mines."

"Why my daughter Pah'Nag" asked the young elf, his tone firm yet softer than before.

"Ha!" chortled the troll, "She be shinin' wit' grand and glorious mojo. Her spirit would 'ave opened many doors that are still closed to us. But we be findin' annuder way to open dem now. Now end dis farce! Ye won't be getting' annuder word from dese lips!"

Two of the elves in the party took the troll roughly from the chair and pushed him out the door. Vesperis knew what was about to happen and waited for the sound of execution to be carried out. Instead of the sound of gunpowder he heard the sound of an axe followed by two screams of pain. The party rushed out to find the two elves dead on the ground with Amani axes still quivering in their heads and no troll to be seen. At least no full troll. Still in the grasp of one of the dead elves was the left hand of the troll, blood spilling from the wrist and the fingers still wriggling in the final, obscene throws of death

Chapter 3:

A Young Woman

The years passed quickly from that night. Vash gave birth to a son two years after Vespias' arrival and they named him Veron, after her father. Vespias made herself the "little mother" to the boy, trying to bring him everywhere she went. This caused Seva more nervousness than any one cat should bear yet she kept to her duties as vigilantly as ever. She even refused to go hunting with Ves if either of the children were awake and somehow always knew when they awoke for she would abruptly leave him and rush back to the home. He missed having her along but knew she had found another challenge to keep her occupied.

Outside the village hummed with its daily life. Suncrown was not yet the major city that some wanted it to be, but most did not. Most had their fill of bigger cities and had moved to the small village years ago. Some like Vespias, had lived there all their lives and some, like Vash's family moved there when the politics of the big city got too out of hand. Silvermoon was the capitol city and a bastion of all that was right with the Elven society. It was in close proximity to the Sunwell, the powerful mages kept the city and surrounding forests in perpetual springtime, and it had close ties with the wizards of Dalaran. It also had all of the things that made living there not so comfortable. They were ruled by King Anasterian Sunstrider, who placed them in an alliance with the humans during the Troll Wars. Some years later, after the trolls were defeated and the High Elven people had settled back into peace the Second War began.

The humans and their "Alliance" fell into battle with the Orcs who had almost destroyed them in the First War. This time the Orcs recruited the Amani Trolls to fight. The elves had only pledged a token army to this new war, desiring to keep the peace they had lived with for so many years. Soon though, the horde were at the borders of their lands. They burned and pillaged villages along the border in their quest to obtain the powerful Runestones the elves had erected along the border to create a magical barrier to protect them. Of the stones they attacked, if they could not be removed they were desecrated and broken. The elven armies mobilized and marched into the war fresh and strong, helping to turn the tide and get the Alliance yet another victory over the Horde.

But all was not rosy after the war ended. The cost of rebuilding the destruction was phenomenal. Added to that, the humans now began to bicker and fight among themselves in petty squabbles. The elves of Silvermoon quickly grew tired of this and contemplated withdrawing from the Alliance, citing poor leadership on the Alliance side as the reason their borders were overrun and their Runestones stolen. A good number of the elves who had fought along those borders and watched as they burned felt a need to return there and try to help the sacred woodlands repair themselves. Soon new villages began to sprout up all along the area. Some were founded by influential families such as the Windrunners but most were just groups of hard working commoners like Ves' family. Elves who placed an importance on repairing the forests and passing the family values down to their children, like Ves who would now pass them on to his children.

The children grew quickly, with the birth of twin girls adding to the family size in Vespias' third summer. They named the pair Vashira and Winaestra and thankfully the young Vespias allowed Vash to look after them without her "guidance". By now her parenting skills had surpassed the thrill of being new and her interests began to fixate on what her father was doing. She would tend the pack for him when they were in their kennel and indeed felt as if she were one of them. Ves would often find her in their pen, sometimes playing raucously with the pups and other times sleeping peacefully with them. He knew her time was coming soon and he took Seva and set out to look for her special gift he would present her in this, her twelfth summer.

Eight long weeks passed from that day, each one lasting an eternity for Vesperis. He had found his gift and with Seva's aid had made the necessary involvement to possess it. He made several trips into the forest to check on its progress while Vash made her own preparations for the day of her daughter's twelfth birthday. Now I must explain that while the child was only twelve, that was in elvish years. Elvish years are much, much longer than human years. Even though the High Elves had lost their immortality they still lived to be much older than humans. It was not unheard of for a High Elf to enter his final years in his seventies, while as humans go that same elf would be about twenty-two _hundred_ years old. The ancient magics that surrounded the elves and their land gave them such longevity. It also extended to all living things on their lands.

"Vessy" called Vash softly, "Come here child."

The girl ambled into the house a few moments later in her usual manner. Vash sighed as she looked at her first born, covered in mud and blood from the far too numerous scratches on her arms and legs, her hair, long golden tresses unkempt and knotted.

"Yes Mother?" the girl said, oblivious to how her appearance stressed her mother.

"Today is your twelfth year darling." cooed Vash. "And your father is out getting you a very special gift. Before he returns I want you to have this, from me."

She handed the young girl a small necklace, silver filigree that held an exquisite bloodstone that had been cut in the shape of a heart. Vespias recognized the gift as something she had seen in her mother's small jewelry box many times.

"This is the heart Grandmother gave to you Mommy." said the youngster, her eyes wide and so full of questions. "Don't you like it anymore?"

"I will treasure it always darling" replied the elf, "since it is now doing what it was meant to do."

"You see," she continued, "when Grandmother was a little girl her mother gave her this gift and then she gave it to me, and now I give it to you. It is to remind you of two things little one. First and most importantly, it will remind you of who you are and where you come from. This bloodstone has been in our family for ten thousand years and has been delivered to many a small girl like you."

"And what is the second thing Mommy" asked the girl while fiddling with the clasp and putting it around her neck.

"The second thing my love" said Vash, her tone becoming more somber, "is to remind you that you are a woman. That you have all the strengths and frailties of a woman as well. The heart shape is to remind you that your own heart may someday feel as if it is broken but it isn't. It is locked within the bloodstone and is the memory of those who love you dearly no matter what."

Vash knew the child did not fully understand what she had said, but she knew her words would stay with her daughter and be most useful when the time was right. She then wrangled the child into a waiting tub filled with warm water and soap and began the long, tedious process of changing a muddy tomboy into a golden-haired princess once again. Once this had been accomplished she dressed the girl in her new doe skin dress that she made her as another gift and presented her to her family. Vespias stood there, her pale brown dress highlighted by a beaded belt and the brilliant Kaliri feathers in her hair and her brand new necklace and listened while her grandparents, uncles and aunts made a fuss over her. They were joined by older cousins and neighbors, as well as her siblings and younger cousins who it seems just wanted to appear more grown up.

Her eyes scanned the increasing number of people as more and more arrived. She could see that even the Lady Windrunner had arrived with her daughter Vereesa. She could overhear the elegant elf explaining why the rest of her family could not be there and she heard her mother's reply of feeling honored that any of the Windrunners came at all. She knew that they were related in some distant way, and that there were three daughters and two brothers in the home. She knew the eldest, Alleria held rank in the military and the other sister was named Sylvanas and she too was in the military. Vereesa was only a few years older than she was and Vespias could see the almost royal airs she put on. Vessy held her own head high and proud as she had been taught by her mother. She might not have come from such a prominent family but nonetheless, she was the firstborn in the Firstlight Clan, heir to all they held in material possessions as well as accomplishments, the future matriarch of the clan and the lesser known honor of "Daddy's little girl". It was the last one she held dearest and now her young eyes scoured the crowd for a sign of him. She knew he was getting her something special, something she couldn't wait to see, but it was the man himself that she wanted to see more than anything.

She kept her regal poise as she waited, much to her mother and grandmother's pride. She also watched the pack as she knew they would hear Vesperis long before she would. The smell of the food cooking...a boar and a stag, far too many pots boiling with vegetables and stews, and sticky sweet honey treats and fruits had the pack turning and twisting in every direction. But as she watched she saw them all turn their attention away from the festivities and look towards the path that led from the ancient forest. She saw the hair that bristled on their backs fall and be replaced by wagging tails and low yelps of recognition. And she saw her father, tall and proud, walking from the overgrowth with a huge burlap sack slung across his chest and hanging by his side. Her eyes lit as the regal poise she had carried disappeared into a joyful squeal of delight as she ran to greet him on the trail.

"What do you have Daddy?" the girl giggled in delight. "Is that my gift?"

The bag hanging at Vesperis' side began to move at the sound of the young elf's voice and a tiny "raaar" squeaked from within. Her eyes grew wide at the sound and her hands trembled as Vesperis removed the bag and kneeled in front of her.

"This is a gift my little one" he said softly, "but also a great responsibility. You now have a young charge of your own and you are responsible for his life."

With that said the elf opened the bag, his thick yet nimble fingers making short work of the knot before gently reaching inside. Vespias was beside herself in anticipation and watched intently as he pulled the bag back and lifted a small, tawny colored cub from within. The cub squinted his eyes in the new light of day and let out several cries of terror until Ves could calm him down. He had darker spots adorning his sides and back and a small tuft of fur at the end of his tail that now twitched to and fro as he watched Vessy's fingers moving in front of him. His small eyes were still blue and he let out another small "raaar" as Vespias lifted him from her father's hands and nuzzled him close to her before giving him the first loving kiss of many that he would receive from the young elf.

Chapter 4:

Companions

For the rest of that evening Vespias held her lion cub close to her, allowing her smell to fully ensconce the cub as his was becoming ingrained to her. She was quite sociable to anyone who wanted to see her new friend yet she would not allow anybody to touch him. She explained that he was tired and frightened and too many hands would only make it worse yet the real reason was that she wanted him to know she would always be there to protect him. She did allow Vash to touch him and the elf gave him a full rub accompanied by a soft cooing noise that seemed to relax him immediately. Further proof that no matter what species, a mother always knew exactly what to do.

"What will you name him?" Vash asked her daughter. "He needs a proper name."

Just as she asked a cool jasmine scented breeze wafted through the forest and onto the grounds where the celebration took place. The cub lifted his head from the girl's lap and faced the breeze, his small eyes squinting and what looked like a smile as the cool air caressed his face.

"That's it!" Vessy said excitedly, "His name is Kasi. Like grandfather's old hound dog."

"You know what Kasi means don't you?" the mother asked. "It means 'wind'."

The little girl nodded and explained that she named him that because he liked the wind and because she was sure that when he grew he would run like the wind. It seemed like the perfect name to her and she begged her mother to make a collar for the cub and that she would get grandfather to make a nice shiny tag that said "Kasi" on it. Her father thought it was a wonderful name as did everyone else she told. She had a swagger to her walk the rest of the evening, so proud she had thought of such a good name. She was convinced that even Kasi's mother couldn't have given him a better name.

Shortly after the sun went down as Vespias and Kasi sat in the hammock that swung outside their home, Seva got up from her spot by the door and walked over to Vash and nudged her. The elf watched as the old cat walked over to the child and her friend and took the cub gently in her mouth and carried him inside. Vash smiled at the wisdom that could be found in even the animals. Vespias knew the young lion needed his rest as well and made no attempt to stop her from taking him, pausing her long enough to place a kiss on both their foreheads. She looked up and smiled at her mother who had walked to her behind Seva.

"Come along little one" she said softly, "time for bed for you as well. You've had a long and very exciting day and you must be tired."

"No Mommy I'm not." the girl replied. "I'm not tired at all."

The yawn that ended that sentence told Vash otherwise and she smiled at her daughter's stubbornness and worried about it all at the same time. Her husband had vowed to instill tenacity in their daughter and he had certainly done that.

Vash watched as she changed into her night clothes and thought of all the child had done so far in her life. When she was five she decided to climb the tree outside of the house. She managed to scramble a good way up before she realized she could go no further…and also that she could not go back. Instead of crying out for help the high-spirited youngster sat still in the tree and waited for the panic that would surely be beginning soon. Sure enough, Vash rushed out of the house about 10 minutes later, franticly looking around. Vespias watched her run back in only to emerge a few moments later, even more frantic than before. She called the child's name several time and got no reply. As panic began to set in she heard a giggle come from the tree above her and wheeled around just in time to see her daughter perched and ready to jump.

When she was seven Vesperis had told Veron and Vespias one of the stories of the Troll Wars that happened to him. The way the trolls had taken to painting their faces to make themselves even more intimidating in battle. He explained that he saw a friend of his fighting hand to hand with a troll and that behind him one of the biggest and ugliest trolls he had ever seen was stalking him. The troll had painted his face apple red and all Vesperis could see was that red face above his friend's head. He did the only thing he could do… he notched an arrow and took aim. He said the arrow flew straight and true and hit the troll right between the eyes but it had also passed so close to his friend's head that it cut the hair down to the scalp and left a nice burn. The next day Vash had caught Vessy setting a fat, red apple on Veron's head and pacing off her firing spot. She had her short bow that Ves had made for her to play with along with some all too real arrows. Vash thanked Elune she had stepped outside at just the time she did.

Just last year a neighbor took the child home and explained to Vash that she had been terrorizing the man's pigs with the hounds. It seemed the man had come out over the course of several days to find his pigs out of breath and sweating as if they had been running all day. Thinking there was a predator loose in the village he decided to keep an eye on things for the next few days. Upon further questioning it was revealed that the child had ridden on one of the hounds while directing the others to circle the pigs. Once they were corralled she dismounted and walked into the midst of the swine wielding her toy sword and yelling "Attack! Death to the trolls!"

"They were the only things that looked like trolls Mommy." she explained in her own defense. "You know, the pigs have tusks just like they do. And they make the same grunty sounds too!"

She also had a small army of other village children in assistance but since she declared herself to be "their general" he just sent the other children home with a warning.

"I figure you would know better than me what to do with the 'General' here" the man said, "and with her 'second' as well. I'll speak with your husband when he returns from the hunt."

Vash looked down at Vessy and Veron with an exasperated look on her face. She knew the entire thing had been her daughter's idea and that Veron wanted to be just like her. The boy idolized her and would do anything she said. He truly was her "second" as the man had described him. Vash was worried that as the twins got older they too would be recruited into Vessy's "army" and that trying to keep her high-spirited children in line would become a full time occupation.

"What am I going to do with you two?" Vash questioned the children. "You'll be the death of me yet. Veron, you know better than to bother other people's livestock!"

" And Vespias!" she continued, "You are the oldest. I expect you to set a good example for your brother and sisters."

"But I am Mommy" countered the child. "I'm teaching them how to fight the trolls when they come back to the village like they did before."

The simple logic of the child's statement left Vash speechless. She watched as her daughter explained away bad behavior as an essential bit of teaching for some coming apocalypse she imagined was going to happen. As Vash went over the words a sudden chill ran along her spine. She had survived both the Troll War and the Second War. She survived numerous attacks on their own village and it seemed to her that the peace they now enjoyed had gone on forever. Indeed, since the night of the troll attack there had been neither signs of troll activity nor any other unwelcomed activity. But still, something seemed to be in the wind. Some unknown as of yet threat that loomed in the darkness like a stalking wolf, ready to pounce at the first opportunity. What was it that the Lady Windrunner had said earlier?

"My daughter Sylvanas has returned her Rangers to Quel'Thalas" she said, "as have many of the other Captains and their squads."

"Why?" Vash thought to herself. Why are so many returning to the military ranks back home? And why was Silvermoon _expanding_ their ranks? Perhaps they have the same notion she held…that peace, no matter how enjoyable, would never last forever.

Quel'Thalas was the old name of their home, the name given by the first elves to find it. They had been driven from their ancestral homes in Kalimdor. They were the Quel'dorei, meaning "Children of Noble Birth" in the Darnassian language and "High Elves" in their own Thalassian language. They were cousins to the Night Elves but a century's old rift had split the two and they would never strive to become one again. The High Elves were the exact opposite of the Night Elves, first in leaving the sanctity of the night for the warm embrace of the sun and daylight. The second difference and the one that caused the rift was the High Elven use of arcane magic. Night Elves determined that this was akin to a child playing with his father's gun, simply too dangerous to use without the proper knowledge. The Quel'dorei scoffed at this notion and continued to use it releasing a dark corruption of the lands quite unknowingly giving the Night Elves proof of their concerns.

Under Queen Azshara they continued to do as they pleased, never realizing that arcane magic is nothing less than a very powerful drug, taking hold and possessing a body until it is drained of all common sense and logic. Finally more and more dark magic made its way into the Well of Eternity and Queen Azshara made a dark pact with the demon lord Sargeras to allow his Burning Legion into Kalimdor. The Queen opened a portal and the Legion spilled into Azeroth destroying Night Elf villages one after another. The Night Elves took a stand with their leaders Malfurion, Illidan, and Tyrande and their allies Cenarius and the great dragon flights lead by Alexstrasza.

They fought a terrible battle that found its way to the very temple that housed the Well of Eternity just as Azshara and her priests linked to open the portal even wider to allow Sargeras entry. Malfurion attacked Azshara and with the link broken the Well fell into a turbulence that finally caused it to collapse into itself and explode.

This was known as the Great Sundering. Before the Sundering there was only the supercontinent known as Kalimdor. When the Well destroyed itself it created a void that shivered the world to its very core. The seas rushed in and pushed the world into the configuration it was in now, the remnants of the original Kalimdor along with the continents of Northrend, Kezan, The Eastern Kingdoms, and Pandaria. It also had other effects. The elven races were no longer immortal as it had been the Well that granted it to them.

Chapter 5:

Hidden In Plain Sight

The years seemingly flew by for Vash. Vesperis had devised a plan to keep his daughter from ruling the world by simply bringing the young elf along on his hunting trips. She would tag along the trail with little Kasi keeping close to her until they got to camp. Ves always made sure he had one of Vash's younger brothers along to act as her keeper in camp when he was out on the hunt. Vespias would occupy her time on a play hunt, her short bow and tipless arrows always at the ready. She started with an old bucket she had found for a target and practiced hour after hour shooting at it. When that ceased to be a viable target the scurrying squirrels around camp became her quarry. With no tips she never killed any but soon enough every squirrel in the forest bore a welt from the blunt tip of her arrows. She would tell Ves all about her prowess when he got back and he would praise her keen eye and cat-like reflexes but he never really believed her.

She would rush to tell Vash when they would return home and Ves would always give his wife a quick wink of the eye so she would heap her praises on the child as well. But it seemed the only ones who truly believed her were Veron and the twins. They would sit, silent and raptured as Vespias would describe her technique to them in great detail. How she would remain motionless while the squirrel went for the bait she would lay out and then how she would slowly lift her bow and draw the string to its full depth. How she would not blink or breathe till the target was firmly locked in her sights and then how she would exhale softly as she let the arrow fly. She was always very dramatic and when she spoke she spoke in a very hushed voice until the end when she would announce loudly that she fired. The younger children would jump at the sudden increase in her voice and then run about squealing in delight at her story.

Veron had not lost any of his desire to be just like his older sister and began begging Vesperis to take him along as well. He had planned on taking the entire family on a trip to Silvermoon to do some trading and thought it would be the perfect time to see if the boy had any of the hunting instincts that he had…and that his eldest appeared to have as well.

"All right son" he said, "I think a turn in the woods would do you a bit of good at that. In fact, I think we could all use some time away from the village. So your mother and I are taking you _all_ with us to Silvermoon on our next trade run."

The proud parents smiled as their children fairly lost their minds at this news. Silvermoon! The city they had only heard stories of. The marketplace there, with vendors selling every imaginable item from polished armor to bright cloth to exotic food and drinks. Goods that came from as far away as the fabled deserts of Tanaris or the gilded spires of Dalaran. Creatures from Un'Goro! Vespias thought she would faint any time now.

It took a full three weeks for the clan to get everything ready for their trip to the marketplace in Silvermoon. Ves had stacks and stacks of hides while Vash had quite a few items she had made, everything from bracers to spaulders and quite a few chest pieces as well. They had to load all of this into the wagon as well as tents, sleeping bags, cooking utensils and a plethora of other items they would need on the three day trip. Food would be gathered as they went along and water was plentiful as well so the wagons thankfully did not need the burdens of these items as well. The elder Veron and Yava had decided to go along as well so their goods went in as well. All in all, once the wagon had been loaded Ves realized that a second wagon would be needed to carry all the people and animals that were going so a second set of oxen had to be procured as well.

The next morning the clan set off on their journey. Spirits were high and the children were wide eyed at every new turn in the road and every bridge they crossed. Surprisingly the roads were anything but quiet. There seemed to be a never ending supply of people going from one place to another, some friendly and others it seemed lost in their own thoughts. There were people driving herds of sheep along the sides of the road, obviously rich merchants who sat in opulent carriages while ragtag workers followed with wagons laden with all types of goods. All that first day the children sat in awe of the world around them. Even Vespias who had been traveling with her father was silent. Mostly because their travels left the road almost immediately and cut into the forest and up into the hills that rose above them like guardians in the mists. But these roads, they were _different_! They were a showcase of the side of life she hadn't seen,

Aside from all they had already seen, they began to see other races. They saw armored humans riding great armored horses that would stamp and snort their disapproval at every upturned rock in the road and they saw dwarves, riding their small goat-pulled carts. Some had other carts attached and they pulled everything along like a small train. They saw all this on just their first day and when they stopped that night the children couldn't stop talking about it.

"Did you see the dwarves Mommy?" laughed Veron. "Those goats were bigger than they were! And what about the soldiers?"

Vash could see that the armored riders had her son's imagination working overtime. She wondered if perhaps one day he would choose that life himself. She hoped he wouldn't but who knew where children would be drawn once they grew. Of course all children want to do what their fathers or grandfathers do when they're small but something happens along the way that plants a seed. Maybe an impressionable young boy sees armed riders one day and that seed is planted and then when he grows he joins the Rangers.

"Is that what _you_ want to do when you grow up Veron?" asked Vash innocently. "Would you like to be a soldier?"

"No way Mommy." he replied quickly. "Me and Vessy are going to hunt like Daddy does."

Vash allowed herself a small quick smile as she watched her eldest daughter and son embrace and then run off laughing behind the wagons.

The next morning arrived all too early for Vash. Her husband was used to waking as the sun crested the horizon but she was not. She was also not used to sleeping outdoors and it seemed as if every muscle in her body had decided to protest her choice of a sleeping position the night before. Ves saw her struggle and motioned for her to stay in her sleeping bag. He walked to the nearby creek and carried back a bucket of its clear, cool water and set it on the still hot embers from last night's fire. This was his favorite time of the day, the morning. It felt as if everything celebrated making it through another night. Birds sang their morning songs to greet the sun while off in the distance Ves could hear the snorting of a shoveltusk doe nudging her fawn towards the meadow and food. Chipmunks and squirrels darted crazily through the bushes carrying nuts to and from their secret hiding places. This was Ves' time and he treasured it.

Behind him he could hear his daughter walking softly as he had taught her to do and in moments felt her warmth as she snuggled herself under his arm. He constantly found the time to teach her the ways of the woods while they were off at one of the many hunting camps and this trip would be no different.

"Close your eyes Vessy" he said softly, "and tell me what you smell and what you hear."

"I smell the fire Daddy" she said with a smile, "and that awful coffee you make. And I can smell lots of other things too…like the oxen and their hay, Grandfather's pipe even though it's not lit, the flowers in the meadow when the wind changes to our backs, and I can smell Mommy's scent clear as anything."

"And what can you hear?" he asked, amazed at what the child had said.

"Oh that's much easier." she replied. "There are so many sounds out there. There's the sound of the squirrels of course. They don't even try to hide the noise they make. And there's the sound of water splashing, probably a fish trying to get away from a bigger fish, and there…."

She pointed towards a fall of trees roughly thirty yards to their left, her eyes still tightly closed.

"Right there is a plump turkey trying to get past those fallen trees." She said calmly. "I think you should get it for a nice dinner tonight, don't you?"

Ves looked at his daughter in a new light on that morning. First of all, at the age of fifteen she was beginning to fill out into a young woman. The knobby knees were gone as were the chubby cheeks of her youth. Secondly, she answered his questions exactly as he pictured a hunter would. He knew her time was here to join the hunt rather than just following it. He made a vow to himself that he would begin to show her how to shoot as soon as they got back to their routine.

The pair lifted themselves as silently as possible from the leaf carpeted forest floor and the girl set off to get her father's bow while he watched the turkey as it moved along the rotted tree. She returned seconds later and handed him his longbow and an arrow. He carefully took aim and let the arrow go. It flew straight and true and sailed right past the turkey and imbedded itself into the tree behind the bird. She quickly tossed the second arrow she had to him and in a flurry of motion it was notched and in flight towards the bird. This time a turkey dinner was secured.

As they loaded the wagons again after one of Ves' poorly cooked yet passable breakfasts Vash made a mental note to herself to make sure she got up on time to cook the next morning. Her husband had good intentions but a mastery of herbs was not one of them. He had over-seasoned the eggs and under-seasoned everything else. And she could swear she tasted pepper in the coffee.

"I don't think Grandmother was too happy with your breakfast Daddy." Said Vessy as she passed up the cooking pot to the rugged elf perched inside the wagon.

"Why do you say that little one?" he quizzed the child. "Did she say something to you?"

"No" replied the girl quickly, "but she's behind the other wagon throwing up."

That day's journey started quietly. The early morning road was still quiet and fairly empty. The few people who toddled along were locals and very friendly and passed plenty of "Good mornings" and "How do you dos" to the small group as they went about their daily routines. One very helpful woman even offered a bit of mageroyal for Yava to chew to "take the green from her gills". Vesperis hurried the oxen along without lifting his head while he heard Vessy chuckling softly behind him.

Chapter 6:

Brigands And Scoundrels

The rest of the journey to the City was uneventful save for Yava retelling everyone who would sit long enough how her son-in-law tried to poison her. The children saw many, many wondrous things along the road that they would not soon forget. Ves smiled when they passed within the limits of the city enchant as he did every time when he reached this point for the last one hundred and ninety-five years. Suddenly the air cooled on their skins, dropping twenty or more degrees within a matter of seconds. Soft, caressing breezes that smelled of Silverleaf and Peacebloom danced playfully around the trees and then around the group. The trees themselves seemed to greet the travelers, their fruit-laden boughs hanging low, enticing the elves to partake of a mid-day snack. Large birds darted around the rocks and trees, bright feathers adding to the magical call of these sacred woodlands.

"Those are Hawkstriders children" said Vash in her most educational tone. She had decided that this would be a learning vacation for the children as well as being more fun than any child can bear. "Before long you'll see that some people tame them and even _ride_ them."

The twins and Veron giggled at the imagined sight of some of the well-heeled people they had encountered riding atop such a funny looking bird. Vespias had been quieter than usual and Vash instinctively ran a hand lovingly across her forehead moving a wisp of golden hair back into place. In her usual motherly way she had not only accomplished fixing her daughter's appearance but checked her for a fever without the child noticing at all.

"Is everything alright darling?" she asked the young elf. "Do you feel alright?"

"I'm alright Mama" replied the girl. "Something had me spooked a while back but whatever it was is gone now."

Vash hated when her daughter spoke like one of the roughshod hooligans that inhabited the local brew stand in the village and blamed Ves for this. He could fairly feel her eyes burning into his back at the girl's use of the term "spooked". Still, she had seen the difference in Vespias since she started going on hunts with her father. She was no longer loud and boisterous, both qualities considered to be very poor for a hunter and the "wild, untamable" side of her personality had certainly been conquered as well. Vash thought it could be from her growing up as well but she also knew that her husband was a very kind-hearted man with an unimaginable amount of patience. She knew that he spoke to her often and for very long times, telling her stories of acceptable actions rather than telling her how she should carry herself. The jostling over rough ground as Ves steered the team towards a long, cool drink from the stream before crossing the final bridge on their journey snapped Vash from her thoughts.

"We should reach the Shepherd's Gate within an hour" Ves said wearily. "Then you shall see sights you have never imagined my little ones. And if you all behave yourselves, there might just be a present for each of you before we leave."

While the younger children squealed their delight and spoke of the many things they wanted Vespias was just a bit more reserved. She knew exactly what she wanted; a sturdy bow, her size and balanced for her and a good set of hunting arrow tips. The high quality elven tips she had seen every so often, razor sharp and barbed to insure they stayed where she put them. She already had a good stock of shafts waiting at home as well as several good lengths of dried sinew for the string. She looked at her father and she could see him smile. As if her very thoughts had voiced themselves he knew what she wanted. She could feel it! Her own smile now beamed from ear to ear and she raucously joined in the din of celebration with her siblings.

That last hour's ride seemed to take forever. Youthful energies soon flickered out like a fire that has roared all night and now sits reserved against the magnificence of the dawn. The twins had fallen asleep on Vash's and Yava's laps. Veron leaned against Vessy with both children in the twilight between awake and asleep, blank faces and eyes closed.

"Wake up children!" said Ves loudly. "Wake up and look at Silvermoon!"

The children popped up and looked through sleepy eyes that soon gave way to astonishment. The city gate…Shepherd's Gate…rose before them, the gold inlay catching the rays of the setting sun and illuminating the very air around them creating what looked like a spiritual aura. The massive doors stood well over twenty feet tall and were made of the strongest bog oak, black and hard like stone yet light enough to move easily. They were accented by steel banding, and covered in gold-filled runes that protected the city and all who entered. On either side of the massive doors stood a wall, made of an almost alabaster colored stone that reached another fifteen feet towards the heavens than the door did. Perched along the top of the wall stood a small group of soldiers spaced roughly every twenty feet apart and holding golden bows that were shaped like a phoenix in flight.

The soldiers were not Rangers. Vespias knew this as she had seen Captain Windrunner leading her troops through the roads between their villages on more than one occasion. The Rangers wore green and brown colored light armor, like mail and carried wooden longbows made of ash. On their sides hung a short, ergonomic elven sword, the handle flowing in an undulating line with the razor edged blade. They had to be more mobile she imagined. Rangers fought like ghosts in the night, shadows that were there and then gone. You had to wear light armor to do that. Light enough to form, attack, and then disappear.

These soldiers were much different. They defended a city rather than being an attacking force. Their armor was heavier, plate metal she imagined even though elven magic made it stronger than traditional thick steel plates while still allowing it to be thinner and lighter. It was black armor filled with scarlet and golden highlights and covered with a tabard of the great city. The soldiers not on wall duty had shields that shone as brightly as their armor did. They were very tall shields, at least measuring six feet. They also carried a large pike, the long blade of it gilded in gold and the edge sharp enough to split hair. At their side hung a heavy mace except for the officers who carried no shield, pike, or mace. They carried a long sword, the big, two-handed grip laced with gold twine interlocking with the softest leather in the land and as Vespias imagined a long steel blade honed to perfection on both sides and a rune-covered blood groove running almost the full length of it. All in all she thought, they looked very pretty but she also knew that it took more than just looking like a fighter to hold your ground. If she had to choose she would rather have the Rangers as her protectors.

Vesperis rode past the Shepherd's Gate, and stayed on the path that ran along the great wall for about a mile and a half before turning the oxen into a smaller less glamorous gate. They entered a nice sized courtyard and were stopped immediately by one of the many soldiers there.

"Welcome to Falconwing Square traveler." He said with a bland look on his face as if he had to say that greeting more times each day than he wanted to, "State your name and business here before you go further."

"My name is Vesperis Firstlight" replied the elf, "and my business is trading all these goods and showing my children all the magic the city has to offer."

The guard was clearly unimpressed with Ves, his children, and his wagons of goods even though he flashed a half-hearted smile before he stepped back.

"Go through the causeway and bring your wagon to the marketplace." He said gruffly. "And words of caution hunter…the city walls have eyes and the streets have ears. Most times when an outsider comes into the city with as much as you have to sell, it seems they get waylaid by brigands on the trip home. Be cautious of who you speak around and don't be careless with your money. There are scoundrels at every twist and turn of the city!"

With his advice given the guard abruptly turned and approached the next wagon waiting to enter the city. Ves urged the oxen towards an arched tunnel that spanned between two buildings. He could still hear the guard behind him as he reached the opening and the first smells of the market reached the wagon welcoming yet another weary traveler to Falconwing Square.

The causeway continued between the two buildings for at least a hundred feet or more. The children's eyes shot open as they suddenly entered a much different world than the quiet courtyard before had been. There were market stalls set up in rows for as far as they could see, each decorated in brightly colored cloths. Torches lit the eager faces of the merchants as well as the sour looks of the buyers, jugglers and stilt walkers made their way through the crowds, and games of chance barkers yelled their encouragements to the passing throng assuring them that their game was easier than it seemed. Their eyes had trouble taking the full spectacle in at once. They begged their father to hurry and get the carts locked away so they could take a closer look at this indecently wonderful place. The smell of the food as well as the rows of busheled fruits, vegetables, and herbs combined to overload their sense of smell just as the sights had glazed over their eyes.

Ves set the carts into locked holding pens as quickly as he could and then walked the oxen to the herding pen, locking them in as well. Night time had officially arrived but the children were determined to see as much as they could before the weariness of the trip took hold of them. While they perused the wares of the closest merchants Yava and the elder Veron procured rooms at the inn for them all dutifully handed over by a raven-haired human woman named Adella. She was aided by a dwarven lady who was scurrying about with trays of food and drink hoisted above her short stature.

Through a set of wispy blue curtains the couple could see the great feasting hall with long tables set in neat rows and a huge oaken bar at the far end of the room. Dozens of patrons sat at the tables, while food and drinks perched on the trays floated past them on their way to an eager person or family. As they got closer to the room they could hear everybody talking at once, each trying to make his or her voice clear above the din of the others. Most of these people were strangers yet they spoke to each other as if they had known each other for years and years. Such was the magic of the food tables at the Silvermoon City Inn, known for the charming hospitality and its central location. One could enter the inn from Falconwing Square through an ordinary looking doorway with a rich blue curtain made of cotton, walk across the vast greeting room and exit through a much more opulent doorway covered by billowing blue satin curtains and step out onto the Walk of Elders.

The walk was so named because this was the main walkway that took the cities counselors or Elders from the Court of the Sun where they would confer in the chambers of the Inner Sanctum or meet with ambassadors or the royal family at Sunstrider Spire. From there it was a short walk to the Royal Exchange for banking needs and then past that to various places of study where scholars and students mingled, around a great turn in the walkway, past the inn and on to the great bazaar. This also led to another place, infamous in its origins called Murder Row. The old name of the place was Augur's Row, much more respectable as an Augur was a priest who interpreted the signs of Elune. In recent years though, the Warlock and Rogue guilds put their headquarters there which gave the area its new name. And the opening of a much seedier inn and bar that catered to the "darker magics" of the locals did nothing to curb the dreadful reputation the once grand street now owned.

"There are scoundrels at every twist and turn of the city!" Certainly true for this area.

Chapter 7:

A Right Turn

For the next 3 days the children were in their own private heaven. Vash and Ves took turns in bringing them to various places of interest, sometimes individually and other times as a family. When Vash had the children on their second day in Silvermoon Ves made a point of perusing the stalls and getting a fix on what skins were selling for so he would have a fair asking price when he moved to the buyer's area. He also looked at the finished armor but this was a much different field to analyze. Not only did you have to factor the cost of the materials but you also had to look at the craftsmanship involved. Vash's work was definitely on the higher end scale and that was becoming apparent here. But to sell it at the price it was worth would take an educated buyer who would recognize quality and then be willing to pay a fair price.

While Ves did his research Vash took the children to the Court of the Sun. The fountains were spouting their water, the spray droplets reflecting the picturesque blue skies above and the golden hue that this particular area held. The alabaster stone that built much of the city blended perfectly with the black bog oak of the doors and reflected the incredible amount of gold leaf highlights and the intricacy of the work involved. The children stood in amazement as they craned their necks to try to see the top of Sunstrider Spire, its golden, circular walls climbing higher and higher towards the sky as if to pierce the very clouds that framed it so perfectly. Dragonhawks flew past it every so often, their bright red scales and feathers adding to the dazzling colors and depositing their riders on the huge receiving platform that set about halfway up the tower.

"Can we fly up there to see the King Mommy?" asked Veron, trying desperately to not fall backwards as he looked up at the King's home.

"I don't suppose we're on his guest list my dear." She replied. Under her breath she added, "Although with the new taxes we pay we should be."

Vespias took in all the sights as eagerly as the other children but what she really wanted to see was the Farstrider Conclave. That was where the Rangers recruited and trained before they were sent out to patrol the woodlands of Quel'Thalas. She checked her map of the city and saw it was a stone's throw from where they stood and she tugged Vash in that direction, covering the distance in less than five minutes. Once there she stood in awe, trying to take in all she could see. Trainers were guiding new recruits in the use of the ranger sword while other cadets were honing their archery skills on straw "men" that were lashed to wooden posts. Even though humans and other races had their hands in most of all the city had to offer the child saw none of that here. To be a Farstrider, a Ranger in service to Quel'Thalas, one had to be of pure elven lineage. Vespias liked that. Her heritage was a most important part of her young life. She wasn't against other races mind you, but she was very, very proud to be Quel'dorei, descendant of the High Elves of Kalimdor.

Vespias wandered over to where the archers were busy trying to hit their targets and she knew she could do better than more than half of them already.

"Mrs. Firstlight?" a voice called out from behind Vash. "What brings you to Silvermoon?"

Vash turned to look into the cool blue eyes of Captain Alleria Windrunner. The girl she knew just a few short years ago was now a grown woman, a ranked leader of a military unit and far less snobbish than Vash remembered her to be.

"Alleria how you've grown!" said Vash as she leaned in to hug the girl. "It has been far too many years since we've seen you but I imagine this calling of yours must keep you very busy. We're here to sell some goods and a sort of vacation for the children. What brings you into the city?"

"I'm here for Sylvanas." replied the Captain. "She's being promoted to Captain as well in a ceremony today. Won't you stay and applaud her on? She would love to see you."

Vash agreed and the two women took a bench and chatted about all the lost time between them, and the state of their home villages. Alleria lamented how much she missed her home, how much a good home-cooked meal in her own kitchen would be worth to her. Vash tried to steer clear of the current state of the military, almost afraid of hearing something that she did not wish to know at this point. Alleria sensed as much and kindly asked about the children, how old they were now and how much they enjoyed all they had seen so far.

"Where is Vespias?" asked the Ranger. "I remember the night of the troll attack after she was born as if it were only yesterday."

"She's enamored with your archers." Said Vash, a slight shudder coursing through her body at the remembrance of that dreadful night. "Although, she looks as if she might start giving them pointers any moment now."

Alleria laughed and excused herself so she could walk over to the child. As she got nearer to the cadets her friendly neighbor face changed back to the commanding officer that she had come to embrace. The recruits snapped to attention when she entered the area and remained that way till she waved them back to their training. Her face turned towards Vessy, softening a bit. Vespias looked at the woman before her, strong and proud. Her skin was rugged yet still feminine, tanned and glowing with the healthy airs of pride. Her long reddish hair was braided neatly, not a hair out of place and hung over her left shoulder with an almost military precision.

"I understand you fancy yourself an archer." She said to the girl in her best officer's voice. "Maybe you'd like to show me just what makes you special."

She picked out the shortest cadet and instructed the young man to give his bow to the child. Vessy hefted it in her hands, sensing the balanced spot and then adjusting her frame to match it. The bow was still a bit too big for her but she would manage.

"Where do you want me to hit it Alleria?" she asked in her still-sweet youthful way.

"In the heart." Replied the ranger, amazed at the confidence that exuded from this mere child. "Nothing fancy, just a good, clean kill shot."

Vespias stepped up and took her stance, right leg back slightly and left leg and foot pointing towards her target. She studied the distance for a moment then lifted the bow quickly, drawing the string back smoothly and stopping it just even with her cheekbone. Her eyes locked on her target, her breathing stopped, her strong young arms holding the bow steady. Then a sharp exhale of breath, fingers loose and a second later the solid "thunk" of the arrow settled into the target. She smiled at the still shaking arrow that sat dead center of the target's chest, right where its heart would be if it had one. The ranger looked at the target and then at the beaming face of the youngster. Her form was impeccable, and she certainly knew the proper way to draw, aim, and fire.

"Again!" she said eager to see if the first shop was just a fluke. "Two shots this time, first in the chest and second in the throat! Quickly!"

Vessy drew the string once more, took her aim and let the arrow fly and quickly notched the second and let that go as well. The two sounds of the arrows hitting their mark were almost on top of each other and Alleria looked to see the first arrow neatly resting against the previous shot and the second arrow sitting precisely dead center of the throat just a bit higher than the adams apple. Alleria looked at the smiling child and then turned to the cadets.

"You all have just been bested by a child!" she shouted at them while throwing the bow back to its donator. "If I had a dozen like her I would send the rest of you home to tend to your milking cows and sewing circles! Now add another two hours of practice time to your schedules today!"

"You did well Vespias." she said turning to the girl and softening her tone. "When you become of age come see me. I can use such a gifted archer as you."

Vessy was beside herself with pride as they walked back to the inn to get ready for the ceremony later. On the opposite side of the inn Vesperis was just as proud as he secured the hefty bag of five thousand gold to his sling and walked towards the bank. He would leave it in there for the rest of their stay in the city and take it out when it was time to go home. That money was more than they would need to run their home for another year. The skins had sold for a good amount and he had found a good buyer for Vash's armor. Just like his daughter, he was caught up in his own pride and didn't notice the cruel eyes that watched him as he walked from the bank. The four burley humans stood back a bit and plotted. They could tell by his mannerisms that he was not from the city. They decided they would stay with him until he left the confines and protection of the alabaster walls of Silvermoon, until he was past the first bridge, and then they would relieve him of that heavy sack of gold. If he cooperated that would be all they relieved him of.

Back at the inn Vessy excitedly told her father of all that had passed at the Farstrider Conclave, and what Alleria had said to her. Vesperis was very impressed, unaware that his daughter could indeed shoot an arrow as she claimed she could. Perhaps, that new bow she wanted wasn't such a bad idea after all. Another hunter would mean more skins and more food, not just for themselves, but for the entire village.

Suncrown village was based on a cooperative idea and it was working very well as planned. Hunters like Ves would supply the village with meat and skins while others would provide dairy from their cows and eggs from their chickens. Farmers would share in their plantings, woodworkers would help build homes and barns and furnishings, tailors would sew clothes and the list went on and on. Now this is not to say that everything went into a communal pot but each person looked out for the others. It was not uncommon to see a person bring extra fireplace wood to an elderly widow and leave with a fresh baked gooseberry pie or a lively shoveltusk stew. The people all took care of themselves and each other. No one person did more and no one person was a burden. Everyone who took also gave and with this agreement everybody held their head high. There was no charity or welfare, nor was there any reason to steal.

"There are scoundrels at every twist and turn of the city."

Perhaps true in Silvermoon City but furthest from the truth in Suncrown Village. Vesperis understood his father-in-law's desire to leave the city. For all its sophistication and convenience and security it was not a very good place to raise children. Too many people looking out for themselves, no time for politeness and certainly no time for helping hands. Of course there were a few exceptions to the rule here but that wasn't good enough for Ves. Everyone should take a stake in his neighbor's lot, pull together. He wondered how the city would fare if it were possible for a hurricane to blow in from the ocean or should one of the mountains around the city give way in a landslide. Not very good he concluded, not as good as his home would fare.

Chapter 8:

Panic In Lordaeron

That night Ves and Vash attended the promotion ceremony of Sylvanas Windrunner as she had promised. Sylvanas, the younger sister of Alleria was radiant as all the Windrunner girls were, but she seemed pre-occupied with something or someone. She had arrived less than an hour before the ceremony was to start and during the dinner that followed she paced and prowled the balcony of the feasting hall like a caged panther. Also in attendance was Jania Proudmoore, the lovely young daughter of Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, commander of all the Alliance Naval Fleet. It was rumored that she would one day marry Prince Arthas Menathil of Lordaeron, Knight of the Silver Hand, and a handsome and dashing prize for any woman. It seemed to Vash that Lady Proudmoore was also preoccupied and she wondered if the two women were thinking of the same problem. Sylvanas went around the room, her elegant features aglow in the soft light of the torches that lit the room, and gave her thanks for all who attended.

Unlike Alleria, her hair was raven black like her father's and her features were more chiseled and precise. Her body was lithe, that was evident even though she wore the 'dress' armor that all soldiers of Silvermoon were expected to wear on such occasions. It was not unlike the city guard armor, black in color with red and golden highlights. Only the formed chestpiece was elven plate armor, while the rest was simple leather with plate attachments on the hips and thighs. The boots were knee high and had the crest of Silvermoon on the side of the right boot and the Windrunner family crest on the side of the left. The armor perfectly complimented Sylvanas' almost cream colored complexion and her full, red lips. To say she was the most attractive of the three Windrunner girls would not have been an overstatement. She came to Alleria's table first and was genuinely happy to see Vash and Ves there. She greeted them warmly and then apologized and pulled Alleria to the side. Vash could not hear what Sylvanas whispered in her sister's ear but the sudden loss of color in the elder girl's face told her it was not good news.

Sylvanas thanked Vash and Ves once more for coming, continued around the room shaking hands and hugging people in that curt, political fashion before returning to her sister. They hugged a good long time and then Sylvanas abruptly turned and walked to Jania's table. They spoke briefly and the two women walked out to the balcony. Vash remembered that Jania was very well schooled in the mage arts of the Kirin Tor academies and the luminescent blue glow that shone through the doorway must have been a portal to some distant place the women went through.

"Is everything alright Alleria?" Ves asked the Ranger. "You and Sylvanas seemed upset by something."

"It's nothing really" she replied quickly and in hushed tones, "just a bit of trouble in Stratholme that draws our attention."

The rest of the evening was uneventful, and Alleria seemed more and more preoccupied as the night wore on. At length she excused herself and walked towards the exit, no longer the sweet young lady from the next village that Vash knew, but a hardened military leader, confident and used to having her orders obeyed. She motioned for one of her aides to come close and rattled off instructions. Vash watched as the aide snapped to attention, saluted and ran off towards the ranger barracks. She then saw Alleria speak with several other men, most of who were also dressed in their military finery and the elf could see concern etch itself in all of their faces as the ranger captain finished.

"Let's go my love." Vash whispered in Ves' ear. "I want to get back to the children and finish what we came to do here so we can get home."

The next day was to be the last for the family in the capitol city. As promised the children were allowed to get whatever they wanted as both a reward for good behavior and as a remembrance for their first visit to Silvermoon City. Veron was first, asking for a mace just like the city guards carried. It was a beautiful weapon, its long handle covered in supple, black calf hide with an amber gem for a pummel and the maul constructed of six heavy steel fins, each shaped like an outstretched wing of a phoenix in flame-like colors to match.

Next up was Vashira. She was the quietest of all the children and the only one of the girls who actually acted like a girl. She pointed out a beautiful piccolo, long and polished silver with magical runes carved in its lustrous barrel. She smiled from ear to ear as the merchant placed the instrument lovingly in its case and presented it to the young elf. Winaestra surprised everybody by leading her parents to three different stalls where she purchased three Hawkstriders chicks. She made sure she got two hens and one cock because as she explained, I want lots of baby 'striders that she could sell. Ves saw the prices for fully grown Hawkstriders and thought this was a very prudent idea and wondered why he hadn't thought of it himself.

Vessy was last and Vesperis knew exactly where she wanted to go. In the small section between the bazaar and Murder Row there was a bowyer who was renowned for the quality of her goods. Vespias walked through the woman's shop, looking over all of the wondrous bows hanging from the walls and leaning in the corners. She lifted many of them as their particular cut caught her eye and tested their balance. She finally settled on a short bow made of ash that had a hand grip covered in black kid leather. The woman handed Vespias the sinew string and the child expertly wrapped her leg around the bow, bent it and had it strung in seconds. Her father tossed in a dozen arrows with the fine elven tips the girl had described earlier and another dozen tips without the shafts. As they left the bowyer Vespias was all smiles as she walked with her treasure back to the inn. The four rough, burly men who followed at a short distance smiled as well.

Back at the inn Ves pulled the empty carts around to the side of the building so that Vash and the children could start loading all their goods into them. They had also purchased a good many household items as well as the gifts for the children. Vash had secretly purchased a silk evening suit for Ves even though she knew that you couldn't make a silk purse from a sow's ear. She also knew he would wear it for her sake and once he did he would learn to like it. _She_ liked it and for right now that was all that mattered. Yava laughed at the sight of it and insisted that Vash let her know when she was going to get her husband to wear it the first time so she could be there to further his embarrassment. She would get even for that horrible breakfast one way or another.

While the women and children loaded the wagon Ves and the elder Veron walked to the bank. Veron was very mysterious about what he was taking from the vault and Ves watched with great interest when he emerged with a dusty, old, rolled up lion hide. Whatever it held was about five to five and a half feet long as near as the younger elf could judge. It was tied in three places with what looked to be sinew of some sort and the old elf walked out with it tucked under his arm as nonchalantly as could be. Ves just shook his head and lifted the money sack into his sling and followed his father-in-law back to the inn.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to get around to that." Said Yava when she saw the package. "It's still too early if you ask me."

"It is." Veron replied quickly, "But I don't know if or when we'll be back here and I wanted it with me till it's time."

With that said he tucked his prize neatly under the seat of the carriage and began to load the heavier items into the back. In the other wagon Ves had locked the gold in his chest and dropped the key into his vest pocket. The eyes that never left him saw the bag of gold and the locked box it went into but they didn't see where the key went and this bothered them. They had no problems with thievery but if he wouldn't give them the key they would have to find it and that brought about a chance of the elf being killed somehow. Murder was a different crime and each one they committed would connect and draw a line right to them eventually. They brazenly walked right by Ves and his family…even paused and said hello to him and then continued on through the causeway to their horses. There was no more need to keep a watch on the family anymore, their path was certain. The four rode off at a cantor and turned off the road and into the forest as soon as they were out of sight of the gate.

It was less than an hour before they heard the creaking of the wagons and Ves gently urging the oxen on. They could see the road from their hiding spot and watched as they made their way along the semi-paved roadway that led from the great city. They let him get about a half mile ahead before they mounted and began to follow, two of them crossing the road and disappearing into the forest on the other side of the wagon. They had planned on following him a good distance from the city and would take him at the first spot they stopped to eat. The leader, a great bruiser of a man known only as Big Jake stood at least six and half feet tall had played his plan out very carefully to his cohorts. He was a thief by trade and wanted everything to go a certain way, get in, get the money, and get out. A quick operation. Unknown to him the two men on the other side of the road had taken a few bottles of Stormstout and were reaching the bottom of the first one before they had even gone two miles. Had Jake known this was going on he would have called the whole thing off. Drinking and thievery make for unnecessary trouble as far as he was concerned.

Back in the wagon Vessy had the same feeling she had on the trip into the city. She was "spooked" as she would say, every sense she had screaming out danger of some kind was near. She strained her eyes to look into the forest but the men were too far back for her to see them through the foliage of the trees and bushes and the oxen and wagons made just too much noise for her to hear them. She didn't even know the animal that was stalking them. She figured it was a bear perhaps, drawn to the small caravan by the smell of food in the barrels and crates. Maybe it was an old lion looking for an easy meal that smelled Winnie's Hawkstriders. She thought of every type animal she knew would be both in the woods and a danger. She even wondered if it could be trolls. She never once thought it could be the most dangerous of all animals, man.

Ves and Vash were both uneasy as well, but their concern was clearer than Vessy's was. They were concerned over what they had witnessed at the dinner last evening. Clearly something was happening in Lordaeron and whatever the panic was, it was big. The all too fast departure of Sylvanas and Jania, followed by Alleria all spelled big trouble to the two elves. Vash wished she knew what it was and if the danger would reach their homes in Suncrown. She wondered if there was maybe another troll uprising or maybe even the orcs attacking again. She hated not knowing; she hated not being able to prepare for whatever it was that was coming. And she hated that her government was not telling them about it more than anything. Suddenly she hated Alleria. She hated her and Sylvanas and Jania Proudmoore and every pompous ass military leader she saw at that party. Who were they to withhold information from the people? Who were they to decide what the villagers need to know and didn't need to know? Who were they to decide what danger was severe enough for them to let her know about it? Who in the hell did they think they were?

"There are scoundrels at every twist and turn of the city"

"Forget the city" she thought venomously, "the real scoundrels are in the government!"

Chapter 9:

Innocence Lost

The wagon plodded on for almost an hour and Ves could see the edge of the enchantment ahead. Apparently it was raining on the other side, a hard summer storm rain. The skies were black and lightning danced from cloud to cloud. Thunder rolled across the land, crashing in a symphony of chaos, unnerving the twins who still saw visions of ghosts and monsters in the downpour of such storms. Ves decided to make camp just within the enchant and wait out the storm. He knew these type rains never lasted very long and would drive itself out in no time. He deftly pulled the wagon off the road into a clearing and they began to set up camp.

No sooner had the wagon stopped when Vespias was on the moss carpeted floor and tugging Veron to follow her.

"Oh Vessy" he complained, "I don't want to go off into the woods right now. I'm hungry and tired and Grandfather is going to teach me how to fight with a mace."

"Stop complaining soldier!" replied the girl in her most authoritive voice. "We need to be out of camp and we need to be out now! I'll explain as we go."

Vash sighed as she watched her two eldest disappear into the foliage that surrounded their camp. She wasn't worried mind you, just exasperated at the thought of the food she was about to cook going cold while they were off on another adventure. She also didn't like the fact that Seva and Kasi were not along to keep an eye on them.

Ves had gathered a good bit of firewood and set about building the fire while Vash and Yava decided on what they would cook. He had offered to cook the meal but Yava was most adamant that she didn't mind cooking. Once he had agreed she turned back to her selection, mumbling something that he didn't quite catch. Outside of the enchantment Ves could see the storm letting up. Of course it also rained _inside_ the enchantment as well, but only during the night and never in such volume. He guessed in a perfect world that is how it would be and then quickly decided he could never live in a perfect world. There was no surprise there, nothing to stimulate the senses. He wondered how his daughter would have turned out if they lived in Silvermoon rather than their own cozy village. Would she have been the same, full of youth and so eager to embrace the mysteries that hid behind every turn? Or would she have become one of too many staid and reserved young ladies he saw at the royal court? He had nothing against any lifestyle any person chose to follow, but he knew that lifestyle was not one he would choose. Nor would his daughter.

Outside the camp Ves and Veron had scampered about one quarter of a mile before they stopped running. Veron had been alarmed by his sister's short temperament and the tone of her order.

"We've gone far enough!" he said, trying to sound older than he was. "Now will you tell me what's going on?"

"Up here." said the elf as she started up a very tall tree. "Then we'll talk."

Yava had always told her daughter that her children were like monkeys when it came to climbing trees. A trait they no doubt got from their father's side of the family. Judging by the way the pair fairly ran up to the first solid boughs, she was right about their skills at least. Once there the girl turned and explained to her brother that something was not quite right. She had a feeling of being watched since they left the city and she was determined to get to the bottom of this new mystery. Veron thought it was all in her mind yet agreed to go on with the game his sister had invented. He watched as she climbed higher into the tree to scout the area while the first whiffs of cooking reached his nose. He also thought this game would be over soon.

Vespias had climbed as high into the tree as the lofty branches would allow and now settled into them and scanned the forest. Her keen elven eyes could see much further and much clearer than any human eyes could. She looked long and hard at the road they had traveled and was about to give up her post when she saw the two men ride slowly from the woods. She watched as they crossed the road and entered the woods once more. One of the men was wearing a dirty bandana on his head but it was a bright blue color so she had no problem following their trek through the brush. They were about a half-mile away and within minutes Vessy watched them meet with two more men. They were all gathered in a small clearing and she got her first good look at them.

She could see they were not dressed very well but they were all armed. The biggest one had a big woodsman's axe while the others had daggers and short swords. She watched the big one grab something away from one of the others angrily and throw it down before grabbing the man and shaking him violently. He was pointing back towards the city but the others were shaking their heads and pointing towards the camp. Her blood chilled as they mounted their horses once more and began a slow canter towards her family. She could not hear what they said but she knew it was not good and she began to scamper down the tree.

"It's started!" she said as she slithered past her brother. "We need to go NOW!"

"What started?" he asked, following her down in the same state of haste. "What's going on?"

"Men from the city." The girl replied as she jumped the last few feet to the forest floor. "They've been following us and are moving towards the camp. They probably want Father's money and supplies and maybe worse! Stay with me."

Jake had been out-voted. He tried to turn the assault back because of the drunkenness of his other two men but the lure of such a prized catch was too much to overcome. The camp was now less than a quarter of a mile and they spurred their horses into a full gallop and were upon the elves in moments. Ves had leapt towards the weapons in the wagon but one of the brigands got there ahead of him and he crashed roughly into the man's horse. Even drunk their execution was flawless; the result of more than their share of robberies, and the camp was secure in seconds. Ves was bound as was Veron while Yava held the twins close to her. One of the men roughly grabbed Vash and pushed her towards Ves, while one of the others held him from behind.

"This here is a right pretty lass mate." Said Jake in a gravelly voice that fit his character. "It would be a shame if she was to get damaged. Just give us the key to that strongbox and we'll be on our way and you can be on yours."

Ves could see behind him that the fourth man was leading the horses to the wagons and tying them to the back. He knew their intention was to abandon them on foot in the forest. He could also see Vespias and Veron creeping along the perimeter behind the men.

"You think you can just come and take everything we worked so hard for?" proclaimed the elf. "That we will just give it all up and let you walk away with it?"

"I don't think it mate." Sneered Jake. "I know it. I know it because you don't want anything to happen to your wife and children. Now let's stop this ballyhoo and hand over the key."

As if to punctuate his threat, the man who held Vash turned her, his dirty face just inches from hers. She could smell the alcohol on his breath as he leered at the young beauty with a smile that revealed a good many missing teeth.

"Give us a kiss Missy." He said as he pulled the elf even closer. "Let me show you what a real man…"

The man's words would never leave his mouth. Vash saw the tip of the arrow suddenly protrude from his forehead accompanied with a spray of blood and brain as she felt his body slump to the ground. It felt hot on her face and she held back the urge to retch. The man in the wagon turned towards the woods in time to see a second arrow heading straight for his heart. Jake turned to run towards his horse but Ves tripped him up as he ran, his axe skittering away from his grasp. Behind Ves Veron popped from the brush and slammed a huge rock against the head of the man who held Ves and then cut his father's bonds quickly. The boy ran to his mother, visibly frightened while proud of his role in saving the camp. Yava released her husband and turned her attention to the big man sprawled on the ground before them. Ves stood over the man, holding the recovered axe to the man's throat.

"You come into my camp to steal our money!" said the elf angrily. "You threaten my wife and my children! Give me a reason why I should leave your head attached to your miserable body!"

"Because you are a good man, an honorable man." Said the voice of Alleria Windrunner. "Because you are better than the scum who crawls at your feet."

Alleria and her rangers rode silently into the camp, something only an elf could manage to do on a horse. She gestured and two of her rangers dismounted and lifted the thief to his feet, not even trying to be gentle about it. The man winced in pain as he was roughly bound with a leather strap. A quick examination proved the other three men were indeed dead. It seemed that while Vespias did exactly what she intended, Veron had brought the rock down on the fellow's head just a bit too hard. His eyes widened even further when he heard the ranger say dead.

"We will take this one Vesperis." The ranger said with little compassion in her voice. "The others…well; their bodies will be an offering to the creatures of the forest."

"I will bury them." replied the elf. "No man, no matter how evil deserves to be left for the wolves and bears and vultures to ravage."

"See?" said Alleria. "A good man. Keep their horses and whatever they have on them as reward for putting them to rest."

The ranger captain instructed the two rangers who held Jake and moments later they placed him on his horse and rode off towards Silvermoon. She then walked towards Vespias and the still shaking Veron. She knelt before them, her green and brown armor shifting as she lowered herself, and took Vespias' chin in her hand and looked deeply into her eyes.

"What you did took courage little one." she said softly. "Taking a life, no matter how dastardly it is, is never easy. But you did what you had to do. Do not mourn your actions or second guess them. Life is seldom fair and those three came out on the short end of it this day. They may have lost their lives but you two have now lost your innocence. Life is precious but you have both lost much more than they did."

"Watch over them Vashnir Firstlight." The ranger added as she mounted her horse. "Life has dealt them a cruel blow this day."

As the ranger troop rode off into the woods Vash looked down at her daughter. The child stood motionless, her eyes still blank. As the woman knelt down to look into those eyes her daughter suddenly began to cry as she held her mother tightly.

"I'm not a killer!" she sobbed violently. "I just didn't want them to hurt you!"

Chapter 10:

Purged

Vash and Vesperis spent the rest of the trip home trying to console their daughter. They explained that not all men behaved with honor and even then, not all men who did were indeed honorable. They explained that sometimes evil would manifest in an otherwise normal person and make that person do things that they _knew_ were wrong. They explained that defense of one's family was more important than anything else and that her actions were not condemnable but commendable. They explained as many things as they could and when they ran out Yava and Veron took over but the child's temperament was like the weather they traveled in. It seemed as if the dark, threatening skies above them were following their daughter, random showers pelting her face to cover her own tears. Vespias was truly heartbroken and time did nothing to help ease the trauma the child suffered that day. Amazingly enough, it seemed as if the younger Veron bounced back almost immediately. His tears dried and he was looking for dinner as usual that night.

At dinner Vash and Ves reflected on what had transpired. They had watched a concerned Sylvanas and Jania exit the party prematurely. They watched Alleria change from the sweet girl they had watched grow up into a no-nonsense ranger captain, far too involved with whatever preoccupied her sister. They watched all of this and still had no clue as to what was happening until they got back to the village. For several weeks rumors flew, mostly assorted information bits gleaned from passing vendors and traders on their way to the capitol. Then one day Captain Windrunner…Sylvanas Windrunner…rode her rangers back into the area. They were bruised and battered when they arrived, their clothes torn and very, very dirty as if they had no time to even clean themselves up before coming back to their home. Their horses were on the edge of exhaustion, flecked with sweat and foam and needed to be replaced or they would soon die.

Sylvanas told her end of the story to her parents who then related it to the rest of the small communities. On the night of the party they, Sylvanas and Jania, had received word that Prince Arthas had been battling some sort of plague that was springing up in the area around Lordaeron, mostly in the small village of Brill that was right outside of the keep. According to Arthas he had gathered evidence that there was a demon named Mal'Ganis behind the plague. When they arrived Jania went ahead to Brill to meet Arthas while Sylvanas waited for her rangers. They were less than two days ride and then she would go on to secure the town of Andorhal. All went as planned and then Sylvanas got word that Brill was attacked by some type of undead creatures, living but not alive, who destroyed the small town. Jania and the Prince in command of both knights and paladins managed to route the invaders. Upon hearing the news Sylvanas and her rangers rode out in hopes of meeting this marauding band before they got to the next town.

As it turned out, there was an agent of Mal'Ganis, a wizard named Kel'Thuzad who was responsible for poisoning the granaries with this plague. He escaped from Arthas and fled to Andorhal where Sylvanas should have been. By the time Arthas arrived the wizard had already poisoned the grain and had it sent out. Before he died at Arthas' hand, Kel'Thuzad told the party that Mal'Ganis was in the city of Stratholme. Meanwhile, Sylvanas had indeed found the band of undead and they were considerably larger than she had been told and they were all trudging towards the city as well. She and her rangers were to engage the group at the request of Uther Lightbringer who was on his way with his troop of paladins to meet with Arthas in Andorhal.

"Don't fail Captain Windrunner" he cautioned her. "We can't have this group coming up behind us and attacking the city. Once you've put them down meet me at the gates of the city."

Sylvanas didn't like taking orders from any of the Alliance. She didn't like them nor did she trust them, especially the humans. She considered them to have no honor, to be petty and quarrelsome, and sneaky to boot. But she was also a Captain in the Farstrider Rangers, not a diplomat with the King's ear to change his policy. She would never like taking orders from them but she would do so as long as her King ordered his troops to do so.

"These stinking heaps of flesh will not be at your back Uther." She replied, refusing to give the man a rank. "We will chop them down long before they reach you."

She chose a natural defense spot where two smaller mountain ranges converged leaving a small pass as the easiest way through. She set up her fortifications there and supplemented the natural defenses with man-made stone and iron as well. Her troops named it "The Bulwark" when they had finished, quite literally naming the area for what they had built. It was this spot that would serve as their final line of defense if needed. The Rangers were a "slash and run" unit meaning, they would ride in, do as much damage as possible, and then ride out before any damage was returned to them. Using these tactics would bring the size of the undead herd down quickly, maybe even eliminating them completely before they even reached the bulwark. At least she hoped it would. Rangers detested having to defend a piece of ground. It wasn't what they were trained to do and Sylvanas was no exception to the rule. But Sylvanas was good leader and she never showed this to her troops at all.

All this was military goings on as far as everyone knew. Certainly, a plague was not normal but all in all everything was going as any normal military operation. What followed set the difference between what is normal and the insanity that would soon engulf their world in destruction. From all indications, while Sylvanas was doing her part in keeping the scourge away from Uther's back it seemed the paladin had arrived at Stratholme and set up his command. Sadly, it was discovered that the diseased grain had arrived at the city ahead of him and had already been used. The paladin kept his troops outside of the city, and set strict orders that they were not to eat anything that did not come from their own supply unit.

Soon Arthas arrived with Jania and his Knights of the Silver Hand. Uther reported the situation to the young prince and they both set forth into the city to observe for themselves. What they saw was not what the Prince expected. While the citizens ran to praise him for coming to their aid the Prince was already formulating the most dastardly plan ever devised. He assured the people he would do all in his power to help them and then exited with Uther and Jania to reveal his plan.

"The city is lost." he stated matter of factly once they had convened in Uther's headquarters tent. "The people are lost. In a matter of days they will be slavering, attacking, scourge killers like all the others we have seen."

The Prince paused to allow his words to sink in to his two companions. The next things he would say would set him in the most infamous role any leader had ever taken.

"It is my decision today, that will not happen." he said. "Stratholme must be purged while we can still do it relatively unhindered."

"Purged?" said Uther incredulously. "Exactly what are you saying Arthas?"

"We must kill everyone in the city before the scourge manifests in them." came the quick reply. "Every man, woman, and child."

"This is madness!" exclaimed Uther. "I will not take part in this, nor will my paladins!"

"Arthas you can't do this." said Jania softly. "What would your father…"

Arthas held a hand up to stop the next words from leaving Jania's lips as he glared a very uncharacteristic look of hatred at his companions.

"You are both with me" was the angry reply, "or you are both relieved of your duties!"

As Uther rode off along with a very upset Jania he sent one of his fastest riders to inform the elven ranger unit of what had happened and urged them to not enter the city. They were instead to report to Light's Hope Chapel, at the very borders of Quel'Thalas.

Long weeks of battles ensued within the boundaries of Lordaeron for both Sylvanas and her rangers and Uther and his paladins. It seemed the plague would move faster than either unit could and soon Sylvanas was fighting almost every day on her trip to Light's Hope. Uther had fared a bit better because he left sooner but the plague had still outdistanced him as well. Eventually the rangers made their entrance to the chapel compound, greeted by the cheers of the men and women already there. All civilians had been sent north into Quel'Thalas and Light's Hope was to be the last stand to keep Sylvanas' home free of the scourge invasion. As she ascended the steps to the chapel that was now headquarters a grim-faced Uther stepped out to meet her.

It took the paladin no less than one minute to shatter the small bit of hope remaining in Sylvanas. A messenger had arrived only the day before from Silvermoon. King Terenas refused to issue a quarantine order to try and contain the plague. He also now had to deal with an Orc uprising in Arathi, and dissention within his alliance with Gilneas and Stormguarde. She was to report back to the capitol immediately. Disregarding the weariness of her troops she walked back to the stables with Uther at her side and called for her rangers to mount up once more.

"Farewell Sylvanas." said Uther. "I wanted you to know I do admire your abilities even if it seems they have been overlooked. May the Light always follow you."

As Sylvanas led her weary troops through the pass and into their homeland she reflected on what the paladin had said. She began to sense he had not told her everything and wondered if what he had left out was fact or speculation. If it was speculation then what was his basis for it? She set her mind to rest since a seven day ride would end all of her own speculation.

Just a few miles to the northeast in the village of Suncrown young Veron Firstlight swung his mace at an imaginary foe with a look of grim determination on his face. He was still inexperienced with such a weapon and its weight spun him each time he swung it. Like his sister, he had golden hair that he let grow longer than he should have. He also had as of late, grown considerably. He now held a full head over his sister, and made sure she saw it every chance he had. His features were rough and he was considered handsome by the young elves in the village who openly flirted with the youth at every opportunity. Like his sister he had not thought of the opposite sex as anything other than a playmate until recently. Lately, hormones had run rampant through his body and he looked at the young elven women in the village in a whole new light.

And also like his sister, he had taken a life that day in their camp but unlike her he bore no sign of remorse. Vash was greatly concerned by this but had no idea of what she should say or do. She had spoken to her husband but he was in the same quandary as to how to deal with this. Her father would say to let the boy be and he, like Vespias would talk about it when _their_ time felt right, not when other people prodded them. Vash hated this terribly simple solution yet she knew it was the right one. Her children would open up eventually.

Chapter 11:

The Bonfire

The days passed to months and the months to years. Vespias had moments of her youth return but for the most part she lived in a void of time. When the storms would come through she would see her mother's face, frightened and covered in blood in every flash of lightning. She could hear the bodies of the men hitting the hard forest floor in every clap of thunder. The storms mocked her as they passed through as if they and they alone knew some terrible secret she kept hidden.

"Killer!" the storms whispered in their thunder. "You killed them…and you liked it!"

"No!" she would cry over and over until she fell into a fitful sleep, the betrayal of her heart to the storm was the ultimate cruelty her short years had ever experienced.

She never realized this at first. It took years and added maturity to understand what had happened that day. Years for her to finally realize the truth and then come to terms with it. She could have gone to her father but chose to handle it on her own, and that was a willful and purposeful act. She was also a crack shot. She could have wounded the two men, set them down and eliminated them as a threat but she hadn't. Those men had the gall to attack her family…_her_ family. And for that they would have to pay the ultimate price. True, she could have eliminated the threat but that wasn't punishment was it? No, her way was better.

It took almost four years before she was able to talk to her father about that day and once she started explaining her feelings to him she felt a flood of emotions wash over her. She cried and rocked herself while she finished her story, unable and unwilling to look into his eyes…afraid she would see a look of disapproval or worse, horror at the person his daughter had become. When finally she could summon the courage to look, there was compassion in the older elf's eyes, not horror. There was understanding and not disapproval. One look into his deep green eyes told the girl he would have done the same thing, he would have chosen to execute these men who threatened his family instead of just hurting them. Hurt men heal and then they look for vengeance.

He chose to not address that situation for now. He knew the release of so many emotions that had been bottled up for so long must be excruciatingly tiring. Instead he pulled his daughter close to him and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"You need to go home now," he said softly, "and rethink these past four years. You've punished yourself enough and it's time to let it go. I want you to go home, get into a bath, and then get into your best outfit, and tonight we are going to the bonfire dance!"

Vespias beamed a smile that her father had not seen in ages and that made him feel a bit better. He saw his daughter deteriorate over the years on an emotional level while her professional level elevated like none he had ever seen. Once she was on the hunt it was like no other aspect of her life mattered. She was focused on what she was stalking, never deviating that concentration no matter what outside stimuli entered the picture. At her side was the ever-faithful Kasi, her shadow and an extension of her own persona, her strength.

Kasi had grown to his full size now and he towered everyone in the house when he chose to do so. His weight settled in around the four hundred and fifty pound mark and his mane was a glossy black, in full complement with his light sand-colored body. Ves had watched this huge cat stalk shoveltusk bulls with just a few sparse scraps of long grass to cover him and then after a very short chase just drive the half ton animals into the dirt with a force that was unparalleled to anything he had ever seen. Yet he also saw this brute of a killer turn gentle and playful as a kitten in his daughter's hands. He even allowed her to ride on his back, an unheard of thing for a cat to do. The differences between Kasi and Seva were like night and day. Seva was a finesse hunter; dropping lightly from a tree almost on top of an unsuspecting creature and delivering the killing bite with little fuss. She would lie in wait for hours at times and then spring from a bush on her prey. She never displayed the brute force that Kasi had yet at the home she was the ruler. She would take so much from the larger cat and then she would lay down the rules and in every instance the lion would give way to her.

As Kasi grew in strength so had Vespias grown in tenacity and resolve. Her aim had become uncanny and if she missed an instant kill shot she would run down her quarry for days if need be. She was a consummate hunter but could not bear the thought of an animal running blindly through the forest in fear and agony. Thankfully, she missed once in one hundred shots if that many. She had also grown into a remarkably beautiful young elf, her hair remaining the deep golden color that was only rivaled by the sun. Her cheekbones were high and prominent, her nose pert and her lips full. Her eyes were the best feature on her face by far or so many of the young village men thought. Emerald green like her father yet almond shaped like her mother. In typical elven fashion her eyebrows were very long and elegant and went far beyond the confines of her face almost like antennae that could zero in on the heartbeats of any close-by young man. Her body had filled with all the right curves in all the right places as well. Her legs were long and her hips proportionally equal to them. Her tummy was flat with just the slightest hint of the muscles that rippled beneath the skin, and her breasts followed suit and kept with the proportions of the rest of her frame. As a final blessing you could call it, almost a gift wrapping, her skin was a golden bronze from the sun, highlighting every other blessed feature on her.

She was also functional, not just a pretty face. Her skills were fast becoming a rival to her father as far as bringing income to the home. With Vespias and Kasi taking one side of the mountain and Ves and Seva taking the other, the Firstlight family had some very profitable years in the trade booths in Silvermoon. Added to this was the affinity Winaestra had shown for breeding and training Hawkstriders. Along with Vashira taking an interest in hunting like her sister more and more profits had entered the family purse. Even young Veron had entered a trade as an apprentice armorer. The local blacksmith liked the boy and began to teach him how to craft the highly prized elven plate metal. All in all, the family was doing far better than most financially. But this year would be different for them as it would for the rest of the village. The war would effectively shut down commerce within Quel'Thalas as it had been threatening to do for the last three years.

Arthas had gone to Northrend, Alleria was rumored to have gone into the Dark Portal in her bid to rid the world of orcs. King Sunstrider had removed the elven people from the Alliance so now all defense of their home would be up to them. Sylvanas had been appointed to take her sister's place as leader of the Farstrider Ranger Units and had been promoted to Ranger General. Under her battle plans the elves had been able to keep the scourge from establishing a foothold in Quel'Thalas, repelling them back time after time. Although not diplomatically allied, she kept Uther informed of what was happening and he did the same for her. The two units would often work in tandem and allow exceptionally large groups of scourge to enter the pass that led into the forests where they would find themselves trapped between the rangers to the north and the paladins to the south. No matter how many they destroyed, it always seemed that even more would come to take their place. Times had changed dramatically for the elven people. In her home well north of the pass and the fighting, times would change soon for Vespias as well.

She twirled into the room where her mother and grandmother sat, her long skirt spiraling away from her long legs as she came to a stop in a dramatic pose. The three women all laughed, Vespias' young eyes sparkling at her new emotional freedom. For sure there would be time when she would remember and not feel so happy but not today. Not this day or this night. Tonight she would put her past behind her as the saying went and enjoy life once more. Her nimble fingers toyed with the heart-shaped gem around her neck as she chatted with her grandmother. Vash loved seeing her daughter happy again. She guessed that the long overdue talk about that day had happened with Ves. She was a bit jealous that she had chosen him as her confidant but she rationalized that she probably saw him as the one who would be more likely to relate to what happened and truth be told, he was. Vash was more than ready to provide love, with no boundaries and no judgments but she was a stranger to this. She had never had anything like this happen to her.

"Are you going to get dressed Mother?" queried Vespias. "I can help you with your hair."

Her daughter's excited voice broke her thoughts and returned her to the present. She nodded and jumped from her chair, running towards her room with Vespias chasing behind and both of them giggling like a pair of twelve year olds. Yava smiled, her old bones feeling the years and the hardships that they had made it through. Her children's and grandchildren's happiness had always been her first concern and this day was like a tonic for her.

Tonight would be a time of great joy as it had been for as long as she could remember. The Bonfire Dance was held once a year in the final days of the summer. It was a celebration of another season of good hunting that filled the smoke houses with meat, another season of successful crops that filled the store houses with grains, fruits and vegetables, and another season of good neighbors and good friends celebrating as a family. All the villages took part in the three day event that started with a dance and moved on to many other events and contests where the sole prize would be bragging rights for another year. Each village would send a representative that would march to a pre-designated spot that would serve as the fair grounds for that year and if all were in agreement then the woodcrafters would be shown where it was and they would go to work. They would build long tables that would serve as seats for feasting and judge's tables for everything from vegetables to crafted goods to livestock.

They would also make sure to build a brew stall for their own village to stock with brew and wines that everybody would come to sample. Behind them would come the tailors who hung banners that would serve as markers for their particular villager's areas. Behind them would come the cooking crews who would dig the pits for the great fires that would serve to roast a great multitude of creatures for the feasts.

After weeks of preparations, it was finally here. Vespias could hardly contain herself as she helped the family load the wagons. Even the normally staid Veron was excited. There was a young elf in the village that had caught his fancy named Valla. She had been a childhood friend and now it seemed as if they wanted to bring that friendship further. She was a short elf with raven black hair and had been blessed with a beautiful singing voice. Vash was wild about her, thinking that aside from her own children there could be no cuter elf in the world and she was very happy that her moody son thought so too. If anybody could pull him away from the black clouds he chose to travel with it would be this girl and her filled-to-the-brim joy of life.

She looked at Vespias, and smiled once more. Her daughter was young, confidant, and beautiful. Every young male elf in the village pursued her yet none had been able to capture her even momentarily and this was a vexing point for Vash. Perhaps tonight someone would catch her eye. Some dashing elf that had watched and waited for years to talk to her, to ask her for a dance. All Vash could do was hope as she was sure her own mother had done.

Chapter 12:

The Music of the Night

The sun had not quite set over the mountains to the west when the family arrived, but it had painted the sky with a myriad of hues from red to violet that streaked across the heavens like fireworks rockets about to explode. The fires were already lit, the small family fires that would light each family's area, the larger village fires where the village assemblies would meet, and the still larger fires where the food would be prepared. Dozens upon dozens of torches were scattered throughout the huge camping area to light up walkways to and from various events and happenings as well as illuminating the areas that these took place in, like the feasting tables and of course the brewing booths. Children were already running from place to place investigating all the sights and smells and the sounds of musical instruments could already be heard wafting through the cool night breeze.

No sooner had the wagon reached the Firstlight Camp than the children all scattered to the winds; Vespias and Winaestra to look for their friends, Vashira ran towards the start of a lose band of musicians, her flute in hand and Veron casually walking along the crowd searching for Valla without _seeming_ to search her out. Vash and Yava took their foods and fruits to the preparation area for the cooks to put in their larders leaving Ves and the elder Veron to put the wagons and cattle away. Veron had slowed down considerably in the last year or two but he still insisted on pulling his weight at these family functions. Ves knew better than to try and tell him to relax. The man had lived and fought through two major wars, found the time to marry _and_ raise nine children at some point during this, had witnessed the birth of forty-seven grandchildren and to date, six great-grandchildren. He never missed a day in his life since he was twelve years old to fit in at least five pipes of fadeleaf tobacco, and could still stand at the stall with his brew in hand and keep up the conversation. No, Ves knew better than to tell the grand patriarch it was time to slow down and relax.

As the older elf walked towards the drinking stalls Ves pulled his chair closer to the fire and watched the crowd with great interest. These yearly meetings were much more important than the younger elves could imagine. It was a time to see who had prospered in the last year and who hadn't, who had brought new life into the world or who had left this world during the winter past. Some villages were close enough to receive the news of such things on an almost daily level while others were so remote that only the Bonfire event would bring their news to the forefront. As the stars filled the skies above Ves noticed that all of the villages and clans had arrived except for the Eversun clan who lived in the hills just past the Thalassian Pass. He knew one of their daughters was a mage who lived in Silvermoon but where were the rest of them? He decided he would worry about that later and continued to scan the crowd. He saw his daughter Vashira dancing happily along with a roving band of musicians and his other daughter Winaestra laughing amid a group of other young elves. He followed their gaze and saw Veron and Valla walking slowly around the camp in what looked to be a fully committed conversation.

"A copper for your thoughts Father." Said Vespias as she walked up to their camp along with Vash.

Vessy was still in good spirits and as a father, Ves was happy for that but also concerned that she wasn't off with the others her age. Another quick glance around the camp told him why. It seemed that a good majority of her friends were just not there.

"They've all gone and joined the military." She said quietly as if reading her father's thoughts. "Even snooty Vereesa has followed her sisters into the rangers."

"There are still plenty of others here." He offered in reply. "Why don't you go and be bold and ask one of the young men to dance?"

Vessy laughed at her father's advice. She looked around at the crowd once more and began pointing out some of the people there.

"Yes, I could ask skinny Ranus, he could use an anchor should a strong wind blow through." She said mockingly. "Or perhaps Thobur providing I could pry him away from the feasting tables. Then there is Folir who can dance very well as long as it doesn't interfere with his drinking."

Ves raised an eyebrow to his daughter wondering what he had done so wrong in his life to have such sarcasm thrown back to him on even the smallest suggestions. He knew of course that it was a quality she had inherited from him but still, a student should never toss her lessons back at the teacher. But scathing commentary aside, Ves knew she was right. The men at her age had become scarce, yet another casualty of war. At his side Vash knew all too well what her daughter felt right now. She had lived through the same thing when she was younger. All the good men off fighting in the second war with only the misfits left for socializing. She closed her eyes and thought back to when she had met Ves, a lifetime ago.

It was at a dance not unlike this one. He was a brash, young Ranger who carried his weight around like some proud peacock. He was good-looking and he knew it. All the young elven ladies at the dance flocked around him like hens flock around the only worm in their pen. She was young and also very prideful and there was no way she would pander to this conceited lout. Still, he was quite handsome and he was available. She made sure she wandered into his line of sight and lingered there in idle chitchat with someone she didn't even know. As if on cue the dashing young elf abruptly ended his conversation with the ladies who surrounded him and walked over to this vision of loveliness who had been so easily able to resist his charms.

"Let's dance!" he more commanded than asked her, full of swagger and pomp, almost like a general ordering his troops.

She eyed him as if he were dressed in rags and reeked of manure before delivering an icy no to his invitation. She was a lady and who was he to order her about like some lackey recruit? She walked away and smiled to herself at the puzzled look she had left on his face. He certainly wasn't used to _that_ treatment but it was worth it to bring him down a few notches. Apparently the ranger thought so too because he hurried through the crowd to catch up to her.

"I'm sorry." He said as he stepped back in front of her. "Sometimes I forget my manners and that ladies like you are scarce. My name is Vesperis and I was wondering if you would do me the honor of allowing me to escort you to the dance area?"

The rest was history and Vash let a sigh of satisfaction escape her lips. Her choice had been a wise one back then and had led to many years of bliss. The cocky young ranger had been taken down and taught manners and made to be a proper elf like she was sure he was raised to be in the first place. Sure, there were things she just couldn't change but then again, they were the mannerisms that endeared her to him. The little things that only a person who loves you can find interesting or adorable while the rest of the world wonders what was that person thinking in marrying this oaf. As if he had read her thoughts Ves placed his hand over hers, his rough fingers gliding lightly across hers in a loving caress that once more proved she had been right.

She turned to relate her story to Vespias but the young elf was nowhere to be found. Vash had been so lost in her memories she never noticed that her daughter had left her side. She scanned the crowd and saw her walking purposefully towards Winaestra and almost dragging her away from the crowd she was talking to. The pair took a few more steps with Vessy talking excitedly and then she stopped to fix herself, smoothing out her dress and fixing her hair to the nodded approval of her younger sister. Vash smiled and looked to see who had caught her daughter's eye. Her smile faded as she set her sights on the only person it could have been, the only one who was remotely close to her age. She looked back at her daughter who was now walking past him, slowly enough to catch his eye but not so slow as to be obvious. Winaestra looked directly at him and giggled which prompted Vessy to pull her roughly along.

Glancing back towards the man Vash could see it had worked. His eyes never left Vessy as she walked around the crowd and headed back towards their camp. Within moments he abruptly stood and began to follow her, carefully trying to fix himself up the best he could as he weaved through the crowd to catch up to her. Vash viewed him with the critical eyes of a mother, noting several things. He was a few years older than Vessy, not enough to be scandalous but older. His clothing was not the best she had seen, a bit tattered and worse for wear, and his boots were rough and unpolished. His hair was raven black and in need of a cut and his features were coarse. He was good looking she supposed, in a rough and tumble sort of way. As he got closer she could see a scar that ran from his hairline and along the side of his face and ended under his jaw, no doubt the result of some unsavory dealings. He carried a pack along with a quarterstaff and the most ridiculous hat Vash had ever seen. Vessy had just reached their camp when the young elf caught up to her.

"Excuse me." He said, slightly out of breath. "I was wondering if I could persuade you to accompany me into the dance area."

"I would," replied Vespias coyly, "but the music seems to have stopped. My camp is right there, perhaps you would like to set your goods there and have a bit to eat and drink."

The young elf beamed a ruggedly handsome smile and escorted Vespias to the camp and a waiting Vash.

The elf was ill prepared for the intense scrutiny he was under from Vash. It seems Vesperis was a bit more laid back as his daughter approached with the young man. He too had seen what was happening and had decided that the young man deserved to be heard before judgment was passed.

"My name is Vespias," his daughter injected as she caught the tense gaze her mother projected, "and this is my mother and father, and my grandparents."

"Thank you for welcoming me to your camp." Replied the young suitor. "My name is Noren'Thas Dawnwalker. Yes, I was given a high elven name by my parents so everybody just calls me Nor."

"Welcome to our camp Nor." Said Vesperis as he stood and took the younger elf's hand. "Sit down and tell us about yourself. I don't recognize you from one of the other clans."

Nor sat and told them all about himself. How he was born in the snowy lands of Winterspring in Kalimdor, at a place called Everlook Village. How he had trekked through many lands to reach a port called Ratchet. He booked passage on a vessel and found himself far to the south of this place in an area known simply as the Booty Bay. The entire area was corrupted, pirates and buccaneers making up most of the population. The entire town was under the control of a goblin cartel and there seemed to be some shady undertakings at every turn of the small harbor town.

His first challenge was crossing the jungles of Stranglethorn Valley. From there it was a relatively easy march up through the human kingdoms, past their capitol city of Stormwind and ever northward. Soon enough he entered the area of Dun Morogh, home of the dwarven races. Then across the wetlands and into another untamed area called Arathi before once more passing into the human kingdoms and safety. Or so he thought. It seemed it was a bit of a struggle crossing Lordaeron, having to choose a path of secrecy to get past marauding bands of undead, finally finding a bit of luck when a passing band of paladins took him to the safety of Light's Hope Chapel.

"Had I known of the beauty of this place," he said looking directly at Vessy, "I would have bypassed the Chapel and just followed the music of the night straight here."

Vesperis smiled one of his crooked grins as he watched his daughter's eyes sparkle at this young rogue's flattery. He instantly took a liking to the elf.

"Nor, go fix yourself up a bit and join us for dinner." He said more as a command than an invite. "I'd like to hear more about your journey."

Vessy smiled at her father, knowing that he had seen and understood everything. She knew that her mother understood as well and she was only doing what a mother should do. She smiled once again, content in knowing she had a loving family.

Chapter 13:

Dark Skies Over Lordaeron

Nor spoke for the better part of the night, relating all he saw on his journey across the two continents of Kalimdor and The Eastern Kingdoms. The twins and Veron had remained raptured as the young elf spoke of the many creatures he had encountered as well as the multitude of races. Vessy watched him as he spoke as well, but she was not as enthralled with what he had seen as much as what she _was_ seeing. She could tell he was different from the boys in her village or even in all the villages she knew. He wasn't afraid to step out into the world, cast his die and take his chances. Certainly he had made mistakes with this cavalier attitude such as the scar he had earned in a fight with an Orc in the Port of Ratchet.

It seemed that in some areas old enemies now congregated and pushed past animosities away and worked together for the common good. The orcs had a new warchief named Thrall who had curbed their bloodlust and even trolls under their leader Vol'Jin had changed. He had even met Vol'Jin once. The troll was passing through Booty Bay on his way to another encampment when he ran across the young elf.

"Beware da jungles here boy." the shadow hunter told him. "Not all da trolls here be under my command. Most of dem still be clingin' to da old ways and workin' wit da voodoo."

Ves wondered if the Amani trolls near this area had fallen in with this Vol'Jin person. It would certainly help if they did, but he knew better and would not hold out hope for this. Behind him the roving band of musicians passed by collecting Vashira and once more sent the strains of a lively jig through the night air. The food had been eaten, the brew was flowing, the music was lively, and the stars shone brightly. All the ingredients were in place for nature's special brand of magic to begin. Ves watched as Nor and his daughter smiled shyly at each other, how they studied the other's features and then turned quickly away so as not to be caught. He smiled when they got up at Nor's offer to dance now that the music had started again and the eagerness of Vessy's desire to do so. Even Vash had come to see past the young man's less than desirable look and could now see he was a decent man…not very unlike the one she had chosen so many years ago.

It was still early in the evening and the music was still of a proper nature. Vessy and Nor held hands lightly and performed quaint dances with quick steps and bowing. Vash had persuaded Ves to join her and they danced for the longest time as well. Even Yava and Veron had joined the fray much to the delight of their children. They had all become concerned as Ves had about Veron. They all saw the same thing and worried that his time was starting on the declining years. Of course none of them would dare show this concern to the elder patriarch as they knew he would first dismiss their fears as tripe and then just as likely dismiss them with a well-aimed projectile, whatever was close at hand. Gaining in years himself, Ves knew what it was like to run along a trail and find yourself winded long before you should be and could only imagine what Veron felt.

But tonight was for dancing, not reflecting on what was and what might be. The brew had begun taking hold and it was reflected in the music. Before long the musicians were no longer standing in one spot, but instead had begun leading the revelers around the camp like some Pied Pipers of mirth. Soon it seemed as if every person in the camp had joined hands and was now dancing merrily in a long, winding line through the camp. Nor grasped Vessy's hand tightly, lost in the softness of her skin yet feeling the strength in her fingers. He studied her face, the lines of every turn it took, the softness of her features and the quiet dignity that was present through it all. Her body was perfect as he had quickly observed, and felt strong under his fingers when the dance called for them to touch her. He knew she was as special as his first glance had told him she was.

The music grew louder and faster and the serpentine line of dancers moved along to the strains of it as the musicians finally made their way to the middle of the clearing. Young Vashira took center of the group, perched on one leg, the other balanced against it and played her flute as loudly as was possible. The notes of the music weaved their spell and called the dancers in, moving them in a circle around her and the others until the entire line formed a huge spiral around the players. Then as the music abruptly stopped a thunderous cheer went up from the dancers. The musicians had crafted their spell on the crowd beautifully and now exited the clearing leaving them spent and exhausted as if they had spent the last few minutes locked in the embrace of passion. Still clutching Nor's hand Vespias made her way to the family campsite and collapsed in a giggling heap next to her mother.

"What a wonderful way to end the evening!" she exclaimed breathlessly. "My little sister certainly knows how to get a crowd moving!"

Vash excused herself and led her three daughters away towards their tents while the twins giggled and teased Vespias about Nor. Ves sat quietly at the fire, his pipe in hand and smoke circling into the night sky above him. He was happy when Nor politely refused his offer of a pinch of fadeleaf. He knew it was not a very good habit to hold and was pleased to see Nor thought so too.

"Where did you plan on going Nor?" he asked in a casual yet direct way. "There's only Silvermoon to the North and after that just the sea. A boat to some unknown location perhaps?"

"That was my plan Sir," came the quick reply, "but I'm not so sure now. I had wanted to see all this planet had to offer but now…"

His words trailed off as he tried to find the right ones to express what was going through his mind. Yes, he wanted to search the world for the hidden gems of life, the beautiful sceneries, the thought-provoking people and their rituals, the rich tapestries the world could offer. But something changed this night. His world was different now. He had suddenly seen something that absolutely nothing in this world could match, could possibly hope to rival. He struggled to find words that had not been invented to tell Ves how he felt. Mercifully the elder elf knew exactly what he was trying to say and took the conversation back again.

"I could use more help at my home." He said softly. "There are always things to get done there and I never seem to have the time to do them. Interested?"

The smile on Nor's face was his answer and with a handshake the deal was set and the young elf would be going back to the Firstlight home and more importantly, would now be able to get to know the woman who had captured him so easily and now held him captive. There was so much about her he didn't know yet he was sure that nothing could throw him off of her now. For all he knew she could have a dozen bodies buried under her home and he would just help her hide them better if she asked. The night skies blanketed him, the stars moving slowly across the heavens, winking their approval as if they knew. He could hear his own heart beating and the last thought in his mind was Vessy's face and her smile and that lulled him into his first good sleep in weeks, no longer haunted by the scene he had stumbled upon in the hills just past the Thalassian Pass.

Far to the south of the happy families and villagers darkness arrived in Lordaeron. Arthas had returned from Northrend but had not. His body had but the person in his mind was not the Prince of Lordaeron, but an evil, twisted remnant of that person now controlled and manipulated by evil. At his side hung the source of this evil, the sword named Frostmourn that carried the tortured remains of every soul it had claimed since it was first forged by the Nathrezim in the dark days of Sargeras. The Nathrezim were a demon race and Frostmourn was forged to control the leader of the scourge who would be known as The Lich King. There could be no doubt that Arthas Menathil, crowned Prince of Lordaeron and Commander of the Knights of the Silver Hand had now become a death knight and the warbringer in service to that entity. He was accompanied by one of the Nathrezim or Dreadlords as they were now called, Detheroc. Detheroc would be his second-in-command here in Lordaeron, chosen to insure that all of the country remained in the grasp of the scourge.

Within the keep King Terenas rushed to his throne room to celebrate the arrival of his son. Arthas was the King's only son and the pride of his life. He had groomed his youngster from birth to assume his throne and crown when the time was right. He was taught the ways of combat by the dwarf Mauradin Bronzebeard, Brother of the dwarven king Mangi Bronzebeard. It was Uther Lightbringer who saw to the boy's spiritual path and his training as a paladin. When he was only nineteen he was inducted into the ranks of The Knights of the Silver Hand in a ceremony performed at The Holy Cathedral of Light in the city of Stormwind. Under the watchful eyes of Uther and Mauradin he was presented the holy mace named Light's Vengeance to the thunderous applause of his many peers and teachers. Arthas had indeed become the person Terenas had dreamed he would. The news of his return gave the old man renewed vigor as he rushed to greet him.

Inside the dimly lit room Arthas waited with Detheroc by his side, his demon features disguised by the foul magic that permeated the being. Terenas took his place on the throne as according to protocol and gave the returning hero a proper greeting so the scribe could enter the proceedings into the official court records. Once done the old king leapt to his feet and rushed to embrace the prince. Instead of the warmth of a long missed son's embrace the king was greeted by Frostmourn, its icy blade passing into the old man's body with little resistance. As the old man slumped to the floor, fragile fingers still gripping the garments of his traitorous son and shocked, confused eyes looking up to find an answer or reason the blade glowed a sickly blue haze and the very soul of Terenas could be seen lifting away from his body and entering the cold edge of the blade.

With a curt wave of his hand Arthas left the room and Detheroc shed his disguise and killed every other person in the room. Within seconds the scribe, the guards, and the small group of well-wishers that had been bound by a grip of magic were destroyed and now the demon let a sick grin cross his lips as they once more arose, the stench of death filling the chamber as their bodies expelled the last air stored inside. They were all his to command now and he left them to guard the room while he followed Arthas to the gates of the city.

"I leave you in charge of the city Detheroc." Said Arthas with no remorse to found anywhere in his voice. "Kill all that remain and hang my father's body from these gates as a warning to all who would cross me. Find Uther and hang his body here as well. Do not fail me."

Arthas mounted a horse that neighed and pranced nervously as the dark king climbed into the saddle to begin the next part of his journey. He would travel to the Balnir farmstead, where his beloved horse Invincible had been buried. He would use his own necromancer skills and bring him back to life, a fitting mount for the new King to ride.

Behind the usurper and his minions, Uther had seen what happened from the concealed doorway behind the throne. He watched as Arthas killed his father, holding back the tears that wanted to escape his eyes. As soon as Arthas and Detheroc left the room he emerged and killed the handful of lich that had been left in the room. He then lifted the body of his king and his friend and escaped the city through a hidden passage. Before he left he instructed his most trusted lieutenant to find the Princess Calia and get her out of the city as well. Once outside and under cover of the darkness of the night, the darkness of Lordaeron as Uther now saw fit to call it, the three rode off towards Light's Hope with the body of the king in tow.

"You'll be sent off as befitting a king old friend." Thought the holy warrior as they rode, the tears unable to be abated and now flowing freely down his rugged cheeks. "Your pyre will burn brightly and Arthas will pay for this with his life! This I vow to be so and only my death will prevent it!"

Chapter 14:

Technology?

Thankfully the only drama at the Bonfires would be who would make breakfast that morning. Yava flinched when she saw her son-in-law picking up the pots and food to start it and threatened him with her sword-like carving knife should he choose to continue. The elf laughed and walked off to enjoy his favorite time of the day once more. He found a nice sized boulder to sit on and began an almost meditative ritual that he would perform at every opportunity. He calmed himself down to where he was barely breathing and began to look around him. He looked to the sky first, streaking clouds that glowed in pink hues and heralded the rising sun. His eyes lowered to the tips of the trees, gently swaying in the high breezes that blew through the wood and awakened the silent monoliths to another day. Still lower until he could see the brightly colored birds that flew from their nests in the strong boughs of the trees, following their flights to the ground where they would forage for worms or berries or insects to bring back to the peeping squalor of chicks in those nests.

Along the ground he watched the lower breeze, the ones that all of us short folk enjoy, meandering through a meadow. It trailed through the higher grasses like a wave rippling through the ocean seemingly trying to find him and deliver the morning's first scents of Peacebloom and Silverleaf on its magical wings. Passing through this scent of heaven were a multitude of creatures; squirrels and chipmunks in their mad dash to find nuts to store for the coming winter, rabbits seeking only the sweetest clover for their meal before they retired to the cool safety of their warrens, a mother quail racing her brood from bush to bush, and although he couldn't see them he could hear a small herd of shoveltusk nearby.

The piercing shriek of a young dragonhawk bringing his prey down awakened the elf from his meditations. He opened his eyes to their normal state and began to stretch, bending his long legs and stretching out his hamstrings to prepare for the races that would be coming up in an hour or so.

"Still trying to sneak up on your father after all these years?" he asked without turning. The sound of the voice behind him was surprising.

"Sorry Sir, I wasn't trying to startle you." said Nor in a quiet tone. "I needed to tell you about something I saw but didn't want to talk about it in front of the children. When I crossed the hills near Thalassian Pass I came across a burned out home. The people who lived there were dead. I've seen death before so it wasn't that that chilled me, but the manner of their death."

The elf paused to allow what he was saying to sink in. Vesperis turned to look into his eyes while the young elf continued his story.

"They were nailed to a tree Sir." Nor continued. "Nailed there and eaten."

"Not a word of this to anyone Nor." cautioned Ves. "I know who to contact and get this information to."

The two elves turned and walked back to the camp, engaged in small talk and following their noses to the smells of a properly cooked breakfast. Thankfully Yava had put away her carving knife and the two men sat opposite her and waited for the rest of the clan to gather. All around them the other camps were busy getting their breakfasts as well and preparing for the events of the day they would be taking part in. Nor was particularly amused by a rather large man in a kilt who was struggling to stand a very long pole up. He watched the man lifting it up to chest level before it would roll and go crashing back to the ground. Nor chuckled at the repeated efforts to lift the object until the man was finally standing with his back to the elf and then bent over to grasp the log once more. The sight caught Nor unaware and had the potential of ruining the young elf's appetite.

But nature has a way of compensating and when he turned away he caught sight of Vespias, her lithe arms gathering and pinning her hair up into a bun. She turned and saw him watching her, her smile beaming from her now furiously blushing face. She lowered the flaps of her tent to continue getting dressed for the day and finally emerged wearing her leather armor and carrying her long bow. The sight of her came as a shock to Nor. She had been a study in beauty last night in her long dress, full of all the feminine grace and charm that any woman could hope to possess. Now she stood before him, nervously biting her bottom lip trying to read what she saw in his eyes as he gazed at her. His look of awe slowly changed as he began to appreciate the other side of this enigma he had been taken by. He could see the power in her form, strong yet sleek like a cat. He could see a woman who could handle herself, no stranger to having a confidence other women would not have and not at all afraid of using it. Suddenly the impossible had happened and she became even _more_ desirable and it was not hidden at all in Nor's coarse features. She allowed a quick smile of relief and sat down next to him.

The family went over their strategies for the upcoming games over a superbly cooked meal. Ves had signed for his usual endurance run and would be partnered with Vashira this year. The young girl had finally been able to run faster than Vessy and had earned her spot in the two-person relay and was confident that she would be cheered on by her older sister. The younger Veron emerged from his tent wearing a kilt like the larger man in the next camp wore. Nor was amazed at how muscular the young man was and wondered if the elf had the decency to put undergarments on at least unlike his partner had. Winaestra would be racing her fastest strider and Vash and Yava had many entries to put up in the various tailoring, leatherworking, and food contests.

"These games today" said Ves in his most patriarchal voice, "are not about winning so much as they are about competing. As long as you put forth your best efforts you walk away a winner. As long as you honor your opponent, not only with bringing your best but also in congratulating him or her should you lose makes you a winner. Follow the rules, do your best, and never quit and you'll be winners in my eyes and in the eyes of all who see you. Bring honor to the Firstlight name."

Nor was amazed at how close-knit this family was. His own family was a far cry from what he saw here. His father was a banker, always preoccupied with money and how to get more of it. His children were only assets once they became old enough to bring in more money. His mother fancied herself something of a trend setter and spent most of her time either planning or attending grand society parties that were only places for other misguided people to congregate.

"What will you enter now that you're part of our clan Nor?" asked Vashira. "You have to enter _something_ for the family's sake."

"Well, I hadn't thought about it." he replied. "What events do you think I would do well in?"

"Can you fight?" she asked looking at his hands and noting the scars that covered them. "You can join the fighting matches. Nobody ever gets killed so you don't have to worry about that."

Nor smiled and promised the younger elf he would consider it before turning his attention back to Vespias and her part in the games. She explained that archery was her strong suit and that she would be participating in all of the matches they scheduled. He noted she seemed fairly confident but where he had come from there was always room for improvement. He excused himself and ran to his bag and after rummaging through it he returned carrying an odd-looking piece of equipment. It appeared to be an eye patch but it had an orange lens instead of the familiar black cloth.

"I got this from a goblin engineer in Ratchet named Gagsprocket." he said with a chuckle. "It was the payment for this scar and quite a handy bit of technology."

"Technology?" Vessy queried. "What could that little thing possibly do?"

"In its most simple explanation it is a targeting device." He replied earnestly. "But it does much more than that."

He spent the next twenty minutes explain the various functions of the eye piece. It could act as a range finder, putting up crosshairs once range was determined and then with a twist of the lens casing it switched to night vision. Even elves with their wonderful vision could still find themselves in a place so dark that they couldn't see more than a yard or two in front of them. Finally, with yet another twist the most wondrous feature revealed itself. Heat vision. Vessy looked through the lens and could not see anything but colors, reds and blues with varying shades in between. Nor explained that cooler objects such as stones and dirt would show themselves as blue colors while warm objects such as people and animals would show as red. It took the young elf less than a minute to get herself acquainted to the colors and begin to perceive what she was looking at. She thanked him for his offer but politely declined.

"It would be cheating." She explained patiently. "Unless every other archer had this device I would have an unfair advantage. I'll win with my own two eyes or lose with them, whatever path Elune chooses for me on this day."

She wasn't angry at Nor for offering the eye piece but she could see in his eyes that _he_ thought she was. She gently touched his hand and took the device from him.

"Thank you dear Nor." she said softly. "While I won't use it here I will always have it by my side and I'm pretty sure it will come in handy along the way."

The elf smiled and allowed his fingers to wrap around hers, squeezing them gently and looking into her eyes with a passion that returned the deep blush back to the young girl's cheeks.

Moments later the sound of a trumpet's call not only told the participants that the games would start momentarily, but also served to break the awkward moment between the two budding lovers saving them from having to find a way on their own.

As it was the longest event of the day Ves and Vashira's race was up first. The rules were simple, and the course was grueling to say the least. The runners all studied a map of the area that showed their route. It was ten miles of racing through forests, across streams and rocks, back down through an open meadow dotted with briarthorn and pocked with warren holes, up and over a shale ridge, back into the forest to a point that was one mile from the finish lines. It was there that the runner would pass his clan baton to his or her partner and then they would race as fast as they could to the finish line. Vash hugged her husband after tying her scarf around the hardened hunter's neck. She had scented it with the soft smell of the jasmine perfume she wore. It had two purposes on that morning, the first being a better scent for the elf than the sweat and blood that would soon be pouring from the runner, and secondly as a coy reminder of what waited for him at the end of the race.

"Try to conserve your energy;" she whispered sweetly into his ear. "I plan on using a good amount of it up tonight."

Ves grinned wildly as he playfully slapped her rump to send her off to the next event she was entered in. Vashira rolled her eyes when he looked at her and chided him to keep his mind on the races. She had inherited the desire to win from her father and her sister had cultivated it in the child for years, preparing her for this moment.

"Sprinters to your relay area" yelled a large man holding a shotgun over his shoulder. "and runners get on your marks!"

Moments later a gunshot and the day's festivities had begun. Behind them to the north General Sylvanas Windrunner led four units of rangers through the gates of Falconwing Square at a full gallop on a crash-course with the festivities at the Bonfire event that sat squarely between her present location and her target.

Chapter 15:

Between The Living And The Dead

The meager crowd that had seen the runners off now moved towards the center of the camp where the targets were being set for the archery competitions. There were three challenges in all and participants could choose to shoot in just one or all of them. The first competition was for distance with the targets set a good one hundred yards from the shooters. This contest would show the proper knowledge of trajectory, knowing how high to raise your bow and the proper amount of pull to hit the target center. The second competition was a good old-fashioned target shoot. This consisted of three rounds with the target starting at the twenty yard mark and moving back ten yards for each new set of shooters. After the first round the six best shots would move onto the second round with only three moving on past that. The final competition would be speed. Each contestant had ten seconds to get five arrows into the target. The shooter with the best grouping would obviously be the winner. As in years past, should one person be the winner of all three contests they would receive a solid gold medallion donated by the Windrunner family along with three dozen new tips.

In typical fashion Vessy could care less about the medallion but she wanted those tips. Each contest would award one of the three dozen and she could use them. She took her place in the line of about thirty archers, oblivious to them all and stared at her target, one hundred yards away and at that distance about the size of the footstool that her grandmother would rest on.

"Take yer aim!" said a small, gruff man who walked along the archers insuring they were all behind the line. "On my word let loose."

Vessy took her stance and drew her bow, perfect in form, breath held until she was ready to shoot, her elegant fingers holding the bow string even with her cheekbone. Her eye was locked on her target, her bow lifted to what she calculated as the perfect height waiting for the order to shoot. The man giving that order toyed with the archers, waiting till the last possible moment to shout and then watching as the projectiles rushed into the mid-morning sky and then began their descent towards their targets landing with a dull thunk sound.

"Three on center!" yelled a man who had rushed in to check the targets. "Numbers three, seven, and nine."

Vespias turned and smiled at Nor proudly pointing at the number seven on the piece of parchment that hung from her belt.

"Move the targets back another ten yards!" the gruff man yelled back before turning back to the archers. "Three, seven, and nine…take yer spots and draw."

Vespias drew back again, holding her place like a statue before letting her arrow fly on command.

"Number seven center" yelled the man down field. "Three and nine out!"

The crowd exploded in applause for Vespias as she accepted the first dozen tips. At the brew stalls Veron was already explaining how his granddaughter would use the knowledge that came from many years of fine breeding to win the first competition. At the wagering table the bookmakers were writing the names of the contestants on a huge board behind them and listing the odds that they would have a chance of winning. Vessy saw her name close to the top at two to one odds.

"I must admit, I'm a bit amazed by that performance." said Nor trying to keep his voice in level with the crowd. "Where did you learn to shoot like that?"

"It was the result of being a horrendous child." laughed Vessy. "I drove my mother and the rest of the village crazy so they made me go with my father on his hunts. It was actually a very good time in my life. My father taught me many things in the woods, but I believe the most important lesson he taught me was about respect. Respect for nature, for people, for your belongings…it all matters y'know."

Before Nor could answer the gruff man was calling for the archers to get to their marks and await instructions. As the pair walked slowly to the shooter's line Vessy allowed her hand to slip into Nor's and they walked along that way as if no other person on the field existed. As far as they were concerned the three hundred or more people there were nothing more than ghosts, spectral witnesses to the greatest gift nature could bestow upon two people.

"Do good Lassie!" yelled Veron as he rushed pass the couple, wagering tickets waving in one hand and a brew in the other. "I've got a good deal of bragging left to do this fine day!"

"Grandfather!" she yelled at his rapidly disappearing back. "You come back here!"

She would have to speak to him about the evils of gambling and drinking later as she had reached her mark and the contest was about to start. She looked to her left and right at the other archers and sized them up quickly. She could tell just by the way they stood who her competition was and who would be leaving almost immediately. Her eye caught a glimpse of the betting board and she saw one name above hers at even money. She looked down the line at the archer and his form was less than desirable.

"Oh well," she thought to herself, "I don't know what the bookmakers were thinking but they're just throwing their money away."

The first volley went off as right as rain with Vessy being among the six to advance easily. Her first shot was dead center as was the other man's shot. The targets moved back to thirty feet and again, the volley was perfect and she found herself once more called to the mark. Again, the other man followed her there but only just by the grace of Elune. Vessy prepared for the third shot and watched the targets go back to the forty yard range. She watched the men who moved them carefully place them so as the widest part would be directly facing the archers. What she didn't see was the small, thin, rat-like man who moved into a spot directly behind her. Or the larger oafish one who moved in behind him.

Nor had seen them both and moved closer to the seedy looking pair. The short man held a quarter staff and had placed the tip of it in direct line with Vessy's bow, a bit too carefully for coincidence. The larger man stood a couple of feet behind his confederate and true to his low-brow nature was too stupid to watch the tournament and instead looked directly at the spot on the short man he was to "accidently" bump into. Their plan had become crystal clear to Nor. The big one would bump the little one who would in turn lift his staff and hit Vessy's bow throwing her shot off. He had to act quickly and effectively.

"Don't you ever touch my sister again you pig!" he yelled as he crashed a big fist into the jaw of the short man knocking him away from his spot. "You're not fit for her!"

Nor threw himself on the man and rolled him away from Vessy who never once lost her concentration on her target. Large hands roughly grabbed him and pulled him off the small man but not before he heard the spotter downfield yell out his confirmation that number seven had won. He smiled at the small man and his rapidly growing jaw and apologized.

"Sorry mate." he said with his most charming lopsided grin. "You look like a scallywag I once knew. I didn't mean to besmirch your impeccable character."

The two men along with the bookmaker knew they had been found out and they were angry. This insolent pup had just cost them a good deal of money and he would have to pay it back one way or another. The big man lined up his large ham-bone of a fist and would have smashed it into Nor's face had the tip of Vessy's arrow next to his temple not calmed him down.

"Now, now you two!" shouted Veron as he pushed his way through the crowd. "Take this disagreement to the fighting circle. How about it folks? Wouldn't you like to see these two finish this in the circle?"

The crowd roared its approval and the big man let an evil grin cross his lips. He pointed to the area and then pounded a large finger into Nor's chest as an alert that he should not keep the big man waiting too long.

"Hey thanks Veron." Nor said as the crowd moved towards the circle. "Any idea on how I can beat that shoveltusk in the circle?"

"Use your head boy!" replied the old man. "You're twice as fast as him. Keep moving and tire him out and then get him down. It'll be easy!"

Veron nodded his approval at the tactics the old man had laid out. He was right. Nor was younger and faster, in good shape and certainly smarter that this massive lout who stared at him from across the circle. "Why this should be over before it even starts" he thought as he removed his shirt and turned to face the charging behemoth across from him.

"It'll be easy!" he heard Veron yell. "Wear him out boy!"

Nor grinned as he easily rolled away from the giant's outstretched arms and popped to his feet again.

When Nor opened his eyes again he was in the Firstlight camp, his head buzzing like a beehive had exploded inside of it. Vessy knelt next to him, her eyes as wide as saucers and above him stood Veron fanning him with some parchment.

"Who would have thought a fellow that big could move so fast?" he said shaking his head. "Was the damnedest thing I ever seen."

Nor tried to speak but as soon as he lifted his head from the pillow Vessy had placed under him the camp and the trees started to spin mercilessly and he had no choice but to fall back into a swirling black cloud of unconsciousness. The three men and their shady dealings had been found out due to Nor and had been run out of the camp, a small consolation to the battered elf.

About seven miles away Ves cursed as he slid down the sharpened shale hillside tumbling the last few feet towards the forest edge.

"What the hell is going on here?" demanded Sylvanas as her horse reared at the sight of the elf tumbling down the hill. Behind him several more men rushed towards them, trying to keep their balance on the quickly shifting surface.

"We need to speak General." Ves said trying to catch his breath. "I have news from Thalassian Pass."

The other runners took advantage of the situation and raced past Ves as Sylvanas dismounted and walked along with him. He told her everything Nor had relayed to him about the attack on the farm there. Sylvanas nodded as he told the story and stopped dead when he told her of how the bodies had been found. Scourge had gotten into Quel'Thalas meaning the contingent that was there to guard the pass was gone. She called to one of her troop and whispered hushed orders and then quickly mounted and prepared to leave.

"Thank you Vesperis." she added before riding off. "Watch over your family and keep your eyes to the south. At the first sign of trouble your village needs to pull back to Silvermoon. See to it that they do. You will find yourself between the living and the dead before long."

Chapter 16:

A Very Cold Winter Ahead

A disappointed Vashira watched as all the other runners emerged from the forest and made their dash towards their partner. She wondered where her father could have wandered off to, knowing it was not like him to fall so far behind the pack. Just as she thought this she saw him sprinting from the forest, his long legs hurdling over a fallen tree and within moments catching up to the pack. To her left the first runner passed his baton rather clumsily to his partner and the second half of the relay was off. Ves still pushed himself and ran past three other runners who were rapidly running out of both time and breath. On both sides of her, relay partners were leaving Vashira behind but the child still didn't panic. She turned her body and started a slow trot while her father drew closer and finally handed off the baton to her.

Shira ran the way her father had taught her, breathing through her nose and keeping her arms and legs pumping. She could see the pack and watched as a few who had tried to open a big lead simply wilted and fell out of the race ahead of her, but there were still plenty who knew how to run as she did. Five minutes later, with roughly four hundred yards to go she began to stretch her legs and pick up speed. Her lungs felt good and she quickened her pace with every step until she was two hundred yards out and running at her top speed. She quickly passed several other runners with just a small handful left to beat. At one hundred yards she had passed all but five other runners and at fifty yards she pushed two more behind her. She knew she would not catch the two front runners but the child didn't give up and pushed harder and passed the third person a couple of seconds before crossing the finish line to an ecstatic family, whooping and screaming out her name.

A weary, torn, and tattered Ves joined in the family celebration and hugged his winded daughter as Vessy excitedly told him how she had run, and how she had made them all so proud. He shot a quizzical eye towards Nor's swollen jaw and Vessy filled him in on that as well, trying not to chuckle at inappropriate times during the recounting. Moments later her face shifted back into her stern, no-nonsense look as the archery competition call for the final event went out. Vessy prepared herself mentally for this last call knowing full well that it had been seven years since one person had won all three events. And that one person was the man who stood next to her still trying to catch his breath while offering her both advice and encouragement. Amid whoops and hollers she made her way to the shooting line and carefully placed five arrows in the quiver that hung at her side making sure that they would pull out smoothly. She then allowed a quick and very nervous smile back to the throng cheering for her and took her stance. The crowd went silent as the gruff man lifted his hand to them and then turned his attention to the archers.

"Archers ready!" he yelled as they all steadied themselves. "Shoot!"

Ten seconds later the spotter downfield began his examination of the targets. It only took him a few moments to see what he needed.

"Number three and number seven stay" he yelled. "The rest of you, well done and see you next year. Judges to the targets please."

Vessy moved closer to the other contestant, an older woman from the Goldenmist Village as they waited for the judges to make their way down field.

"Good luck." said the older woman as she took Vessy's hand. "You shot superbly all day."

Vessy felt anxiety build to a crescendo as the judges finally left their conversation and walked back towards the two contestants.

"The winner of this competition" the gruff man yelled out after silencing the crowd once again, "has done so in a manner that has not been done before. The last time we had a marksman exhibit this kind of skill, even he did not produce the precision we have seen today. The winner today is number seven...Vespias Firstlight!"

The crowd erupted in cheers as the woman from Goldenmist embraced Vessy with a heartfelt congratulations. The judges placed the gold medallion around Vessy's neck and handed her the final dozen arrow tips. The young elf promptly spit the arrow tips and handed the older woman six of them and thanked her for making it competitive. She then turned her attention towards the crowd and smiled broadly as her friends and family kept up their applause. Her eyes caught Nor's and she rushed to him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing the surprised elf full on the lips. It wasn't the late-night-under-the-moonlight type of kiss, filled with passion and a certain bawdy anticipation but it was a kiss. And it was their first kiss. And as suddenly as it had happened Vessy abruptly pulled away shocked at her own behavior and yet secretly filing the event away in her memories with a coy smile.

Ves held his wife and smiled, knowing he had been replaced at that instant by the next most important man in his young daughter's life. He was sure she had made a good choice from the limited contact he had with Nor and the way the young man thought and behaved. He was looking forward to getting to know him better and was glad that he had taken the offer to work at their home. More than anything he was happy that his daughter had found her way out of the depression that held her for so long and he was happy that _she_ was happy.

"Don't worry old man." said Vash in almost a whisper, sensing the small bit of melancholy that settled into her husband with the knowledge that Vessy wasn't "daddy's little girl" anymore except only in his heart. "She's grown and found another man to take hold of her heart and manage it. But that doesn't really change anything. I'll let you in on a secret…even though I love you with all my being, I'm still daddy's girl where my father is concerned. And so will Vessy…you'll see."

Her words comforted him as the pair walked back to their camp, hands locked together as they had been for so many years. She always knew what to say to him when he needed it the most. They had been connected mentally for so long that she was part of his conscious, an extension of all he was and all he would be and all he was known for. No greater truth was evident when the old saying of a successful man is guided by a great woman was applied to the Firstlights.

The next days in the Bonfire came and went peacefully. Winaestra placed fourth in the hawkstrider races but it was also a victory since the first and third place winners rode striders that she had raised and trained. Vashira continued to dazzle the crowd musically and Veron continued to be the focal point of the brew stands bragging about his very gifted grandchildren. Vessy and Nor spent almost every free moment lost in conversation, the two of them gazing into each other's eyes and talking for hours and hours. Her younger brother seemed to have found a similar soulmate in the young Valla much to Vash's delight. On the last night of the event as the crowd threw everything in the camp into the great fire, the benches and banners and brew stands and the villagers all gathered as one, all Quel'Thalassians, not individual villages, and their silhouettes danced around the roaring blaze Vash watched her oldest two children falling in love, confidant in the partners they had chosen and suddenly realized they would be leaving the home soon. It was a hard blow to her, a most confusing, emotional time. She was happy for their happiness and what they had gained yet also saddened by what she would lose. And she was surely too young to think about grandchildren yet. That night, alone in their tent, Vash made sure she was still the young and vibrant elf that had captured the man who moved under her, lost in the throes of the passion she had created.

As the morning sun rose a still weary Ves managed to hitch the teams of oxen to the wagons with the help of Nor and under the watchful eye of a still smiling Vash. All around them the other campers were doing the same.

"Nor!" said Ves uneasily. "Go around and gather the elders from each village and tell them I need to speak to them before they go. Tell them it is of great importance."

Vash watched the young man going from camp to camp and she saw the grim look on her husband's face and her mood shifted very quickly. She was uneasy and when Ves said she would find out what was happening when he spoke to the assembly that just served to make her even more agitated. The next hour passed silently throughout the camp. Everybody knew that for a special assembly to be called meant some big news and more than likely, it wouldn't be good considering the state of the world around them. When Ves had finished he looked up and saw many of the villagers moving towards the still warm ashes of the great fire. He took Vash's hand and walked towards them, each footstep burdened with the grave news he had to present.

"Friends and neighbors!" he called out once he had taken his place at the foot of the mob. "I have news that affects us all, every man, woman, and child. Yesterday during the run I met with General Windrunner in the forest. I had to relay some disturbing information I received about one of our own. You may have noticed that nobody from the Eversun Clan was here. That is because they are all dead."

Ves paused to let the news sink in to the murmuring crowd. Vash lowered her head as many did in silent prayers to Elune.

"It is General Windrunners thoughts," he continued, "that the garrison in charge of protecting the Pass from the scourge to the south has either been killed or routed. Clearly a real and present danger is in our midst on this day. The Eversun Clan was not prepared and their fate was sealed. We _ARE_ prepared now and we must rely on each other to remain that way and remain alive."

"What would you have us do?" cried a voice from the crowd. "What are your proposals?"

"Simply put my friends," said Ves, confidence suppressing all fears in the crowd, "we must once again become soldiers. Many of you served in the ranks of Silvermoon or Farstriders. You know how to approach these situations with the military mind. Secure your villages and homes, set up relays of information networks, and coordinate with the Ranger units in the area. Build bulwarks around your villages and man them day and night. Those who have better defenses take in the single families who dot the woodlands. Do what we have been doing for years upon years…watch each other's backs. Take care of your fellow elves as you would have them take care of you! Abandon all thoughts of self and turn your attention to the whole!"

The fervor rose in the elf as he adamantly called for the support of the crowd gathered before him. He was doing his best to rally them into the force he knew they could be, what they had been in years past. The rugged pioneer stock that returned from the wars and set out to rebuild the forests of Quel'Thalas. He began to pace as he spoke, his eyes locking with as many of those assembled as he could, making them know that even as he spoke to a crowd he spoke to each of them individually.

"As a whole we can overcome this menace!" he continued. "We can protect our homes, our crops and stores, our children and our lives! We can repel any invader once the information has gone out to their approach. We must all be united! We must all be focused! We must all be High Elves of Quel'Thalas, resolute in our determination to protect what we have worked so hard for! We must stand firm and unwavering in our dedication to preserving our way of life!

"We must once again become the warriors of our past." he said, his tone lowering as he gazed at the crowd. He could see the pride in their faces, the resolve building in their pride. They remembered who they had been, and who they were. They would stand united.

Chapter 17:

What's Right For One…

Sylvanas Windrunner spent two months following her arrival at Thalassian Pass gathering the splintered remains of the garrison that was supposed to be guarding the pass and hunting down the pack of slavering undead scourge that splintered them. To date she had found roughly fifteen percent of the garrison which troubled her but the part that really vexed her was the absence of bodies of the dead soldiers. What happened to them she could not fathom nor was she willing to guess. Had they been the regular victims of a scourge attack she would have found parts, at the very least or she would have seen twisted mutations of her troops among the ranks of the undead but signs of neither were just unsettling to her. As she pondered this for the thousandth time a messenger arrived from Uther. He needed her to ride to the chapel with all haste.

It took less than thirty minutes for Sylvanas and the messenger to ride through the pass towards Light's Hope and she hoped Uther had answers for her about this part of the puzzle that this war had become. She had now extended her cooperation between Uther and his paladins to include the Argent Dawn and the Scarlet Crusade in the towns of New Avalon and Havenshire and the militia led by Vesperis in the forests of Quel'Thalas behind her. A network of riders had been set up in each of these groups to spread news between them in a most timely fashion. Silvermoon had sent a small contingent of dragonhawk riders to Sylvanas for aerial reconnaissance that she quickly turned into messengers as well. Messengers who could use the clouds to hide themselves would prove to be the greatest asset any commander could ask. In a pinch she could also send them up to drop explosives into the packs of scourge thinning them out considerably before they reached her.

Uther paced along the narrow steps that led to the chapel itself, a rather smallish building that stood in the center of a highly fortified courtyard. The alliance forces led by Varian Wrynn, King of Stormwind had installed a flight path there to make communications easier and they had also sent many merchants to see to it the paladins had all they needed to combat the scourge. Below the chapel, hidden from sight, lay the true strength of Light's Hope Chapel. The Light, the all-burning essence that gives the Holy Paladin his power, made of the souls of the righteous who have gathered in it for all eternity, who call out for justice and temperance. It was the essence that kept this tiny outpost the bane of the scourge and their king.

The thunder of hooves coming around the eastern wall of the chapel shook Uther from his thoughts and he stepped down to help Sylvanas dismount.

"What news is there Uther?" she asked bluntly. "I have questions to ask and Elune willing, you can answer for me. There is such…"

Her words were cut short by Uther pointing to the clouds above the chapel. The puzzled general looked up, her eyes unable to grasp what they were seeing.

She returned her eyes to Uther's and he beckoned her to follow him into the chapel. Once inside he motioned for an aide to bring the ranger some water.

"Acherus." he said while she drank. "That is the name of it. Acherus, the Ebon Hold. Arthas is up there, training his death knights, preparing them to overtake the mortal armies here and bring his will to the lands."

"What the hell are death knights?" asked Sylvanas, still in shock at the sight of the hovering necropolis that took its place above the chapel.

"Death knights are the fallen we can't get to in time." he replied. "He raises them back to life and unlike the scourge monstrosities, trains them to use purpose in their attacks. They have a higher consciousness than their undead brethren although they are no more alive than them."

"As if these mindless aberrations aren't trouble enough." Said the ranger, slumping back into her chair. "To what end are these 'Death Knights' to be used?"

The old paladin looked into her eyes before letting his head drop. She looked at the man in a new light, as one who seemed to carry the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. One who carries that weight with never a thought of giving even the smallest part of it to others but feels his heart break when fate thrusts it to them.

"Our intelligence has discovered the madman's target Sylvanas." he said softly, uneasy in the next words he had to offer. "It's your Sunwell. He plans to bring the body of Kel'Thuzad there to resurrect him."

Sylvanas never said a word as she slowly stood and walked to the door, her anger rising exponentially with each step she took. For years and years the High Elves had not sought war with anybody and yet it always seemed to look for them. "No more" she vowed to herself. This time it would be different. There would be no waiting and defending. Now it would be done the ranger way! Her way!

Far north of the enraged general a soft snowfall had covered the home of Vesperis. The gathering of clouds signaled that this soft beginning was only a prelude to the storm that was coming. The elf had secured all that needed securing, and had closed all the openings to the kennel save for one. His dogs were hearty and strong but it was only wise to give them as many comforts as they would find in nature. In the new barn he had built with Nor and Veron's help several oxen and hawkstriders would sit out the winter in relative comfort, away from the bitter winds that would follow the storm. The other creatures of the barnyard, chickens, geese, and goats would all find their solitude inside the structure as well. And in the increasing gloom of the impending storm two other inhabitants of the homestead found solace as well. In the upper loft a small lantern just barely shed light past three feet but was enough to illuminate the two young elves that had gone there several times in the past month, a refuge of sorts for the pair, a place where they could be alone to express a love that grew day by day.

"If my father knew what you had planned for his daughter," whispered Vessy as she laid herself back into the soft hay under her, "he'd have your heart Mr. Noren'Thas Dawnwalker."

"I'd be much happier if you had it." replied the roguish elf. "At least I would know it was in softer hands."

The pair laughed, the kind of nervous laugh that always preceded a moment of tenderness and passion. Their eyes caught each other's and they slowly moved their lips closer, both knowing what must come to pass and both eagerly anticipating it. There in the dim light of the lantern their lips met as their hands touched, exploding a million stars in their heads. Vessy could feel the weight of Nor shift as he moved his body closer to hers, his hand moving away from hers and loosening her bodice strap. His tongue brushed against her lips before he moved his own lips to kiss the hollow of her throat. The sound of her breathing, husky and quick in the loft surprised her as did the realization that her hand had moved as well as Nor's had and she felt him rising quickly in its grasp.

Her bodice fell open and his rough fingers traced a line across her breasts, her taunt nipples stiffening from both the cool air and the heat from his touch. She fumbled with the clasp of his belt while he lifted the hem of her skirt and ran his hand slowly up along her leg, running it from the firm swell of her calf to the soft, inviting smooth thigh that was now exposed. His fingers found the soft hair at the center of her thighs and gently pushed through. She gasped at the intrusion, pulling him closer to her, breathing heavily and feeling the urgency of what she still held in her hand. Quickly he shifted his weight and pushed his pants away from him and then settled on top of her, her silky thighs spread wide and her hips thrusting themselves towards him. She guided him and moaned with an unparalleled lust as he entered her and slowly began to move in rhythm to her still thrusting pelvis. They moved like this for the longest time, their breathing heavy in the air and matching each other's until finally in a moment of pure ecstasy they both collapsed into each other and the hay, spent and fulfilled and basking in a happiness neither had ever known before.

"I want to marry you Vespias Firstlight." said Nor once the breath had returned to his lungs. "I wanted to marry you the first time I saw you walk past me at the dance."

"Oh did you now?" she answered playfully. "Then I suggest you go ask my father so you can make an honest woman of me."

"I already did." he answered softly. "He gave me his blessing and now I'm asking you for the same. Marry me Vessy and I'll work my hardest to make you happy every day of your life."

Minutes later Vessy ran through the kitchen of her home and into her bedroom crying as she had never cried before. Vash ran after her trying to find out why the girl had come through like a banshee and ready to deliver a death blow to whomever caused this. Yava watched with concern as Vash emerged from the room with Vessy, both of them crying.

"Grandmother!" she said in between the uncontrollable sobs that claimed her, "Nor asked me to marry him and I said yes! Will you plan a spring wedding for us?"

The old woman smiled and moved to hug both of the elves and together they all sobbed and cried, tears of happiness, tears of loss, tears of wonder…many, many tears for many different reasons.

In the cold weather that had invaded Thalassian Pass Ranger General Sylvanas also cried but her tears were hot and bitter, and there was no joy in them at all. Hers were tears of hatred and bitterness at so many things. She looked around her camp, her troops huddled in the cold around the low light of magical fires. Fires that would give warmth but hardly any illumination. She looked at them and saw the parallels to her own life. Her heart had warmth yet she could not let it illuminate what she felt. She could never illuminate it ever since she was a young girl. The warmth she felt was not natural she was told, not normal. It was not what a proper young lady in the Windrunner family would do, would even _think_ of doing. Her passion would not bring joy and happiness to her family, only shame. All her life her passion had been carried out in secret, with others who felt the same and like her, would not be allowed to be public about it.

She would never be seen walking in the company of some fine young aristocrat or some dashing young officer in her youth. Speaking in fact, her escort to her own coming out ball was her cousin whom she could never understand till he told her of his secret one day. She in return told him and from then on they would accompany each other to every function that called for an escort. They both understood that what they felt was different, not wrong but different. Their parents didn't want to understand nor would a world so set along one path, wearing blinders to keep focus on that one path, and letting all else pass by into oblivion.

As the bitter fingers of another Quel'Thalassian winter fondled her with no warmth or feeling, sending shivers along her spine she thought how appropriate it was. How the only feeling she could allow to caress her should be the cold, icy fingers of the winter, so much like the fingers of death that would soon enough be grasping at her.

Chapter 18:

Spring Holds No Hope

As was the normal, winter's wrath beat down on the settlements and villages as it had done for each winter since the first elf settled in Quel'Thalas and in all likelihood, for millennia before that. Such was the nature of seasons, the quarterly clock by which nature spelled time. Winter was the time of death by the cycles, where all things would end their cycle but it wasn't a time of mourning. It was the natural way for things to progress. Soon spring would arrive and the cycle of life would once more begin. It could begin only due to the deathly grip that winter had held because as strange as it sounds, in death there is life. A tree for example, shedding its leaves till the branches reach into the sky like a skeleton's boney fingers. To all the world the tree has died but hidden deep within, it is healing itself from the harshness of the heat it has endured, the times it went without precious water, from the myriad of creatures that climbed in it both two and four legged, from the insects that fed on it, and from a million other atrocities it endured.

But soon spring will arrive. The air will warm and the snows will retreat back to their northern home to sit and plan their next yearly assault. Deep in the ground the ancient tree's roots will stir once again. The message will climb from deep underground to the thinnest branches at the top of the tree and the message will be…life. Life from death, the cycle renews itself year after year. Flowers grow from seeds of the flowers that are gone now. Insects will emerge from cocoons to complete their short lives and leave behind more cocoons. The snow recedes from patches of earth brown and dead yet with life teaming just below the surface pushing and twisting to get out and feel the warmth of the sun that now escapes the dark clouds that kept it hidden all winter. But for some spring is a signal to begin slaughter, take advantage of the clear skies to find enemies and destroy them. Sometimes two people who are as opposite as can be are also as similar as can be.

From the lofty heights of the necropolis known as Acherus the madman Arthas uses powerful, all-seeing telescopes to find his targets. His death knights attacking the towns of New Avalon and Havenshire without mercy, with no regard as to who is targeted for death. Young, healthy soldiers, crippled elders, squalling newborn babes…all will fall from the assault by the death knights. While they punish his enemies to the west he sends pack after pack of his slavering undead scourge towards both Light's Hope and the Thalassian Pass. He knows they have no chance of defeating Uther and very little chance of defeating Sylvanas but they serve an important role. The role of distraction. While the paladins and rangers are busy fighting to keep their own boundaries unoccupied they cannot send aid to the rest. All they can do is guard their land and send out patrols to usher the weary refugees who manage to make it out alive back towards imaginary safe areas. Arthas knows that once the armies of the Scarlett Enclave and Scarlett Crusade are destroyed and scattered to the winds there will be nothing between him and the Sunwell save Sylvanas and her Rangers, a handful of militia and then the walls and towers of Silvermoon itself. Of these barriers only Sylvanas vexes him but he has a plan for her that is already in motion and her threat will soon be turned to his asset.

In the meeting hall of Suncrown village Sylvanas was going over her plans with Vesperis and some of the other men who comprised the militia's officers. Her plans were simple…she would take two units of her best rangers out of the pass and onto the plains to the south and in ranger fashion, hunt down and slaughter the roaming mobs of undead. The pass would remain guarded by three garrisons of rangers and the militia would patrol the borders non-stop with outposts set every five miles. Each outpost was to have a bonfire at the ready. In event of attack they would light that fire to signal. The fire would be doused with a special elven concoction that would send a vivid orange plume of smoke as much as five miles into the sky. At this signal each outpost would send half their manpower to the distressed post as well as one garrison of rangers and all of the patrolling militia. Sylvanas knows that once she eliminates the threat of the scourge minions she can then concentrate on eliminating the death knight threat that now grips the western villages and towns of Lordaeron. Once she can attack the armies will rally to her and they can crush the death knights completely and she can turn her sights on Arthas himself. She knows that he is the only threat.

Vesperis could see the layout of the plan and exactly how well it would work. He also saw that he would be away from his home now for long periods of time and he didn't like that one bit.

"There are some of us that are hesitant to commit so much time General." he said with no reserve at all. "We are volunteers, all of us to the last man. We're not regular army nor do we have any desire to be. We chose to ride so we can protect our homes and families. The defense of the borders is a military obligation, not a militia's and we just will not follow these orders. Get Silvermoon to send more troops or abandon the idea of going out to rescue alliance towns."

Sylvanas moved a bit uncomfortably away from the table she had stood over. She looked into the eyes of each man in the room ending with Ves' and then let her full lips twist into an agitated smile.

"Elves of the Quel'Thalas militia," she began, "while it is true I cannot order you to guard these borders, conversely _you_ cannot tell me how to run my campaign. If you don't want to guard the borders then don't. It's as simple as that. Just understand that I will conduct my troops as I see fit and that I plan on using them as I have laid out here. Without your cooperation then it seems that only the Pass will be protected. If you disagree then I suggest that _you_ get those aristocrats in Silvermoon to send more troops. I don't have the luxury of time to waste in their endless debates. I need men of action and I need them without their clinging personal lives to muddle my campaign!"

The general slammed the door behind her as she exited and snapped an order for her escort to mount up. Her elven eyes flashed a tumultuous emerald glow as she mounted her own horse and dug her boot heels into the beast's hind quarters, guiding him past the corner of the building and onto the road that led out of the village. Vessy and Nor entered the room and after Ves had explained what happened they both just hung their heads. What should have been such a special time in their lives was arriving on the raven black wings of despair. Ves knew what they felt and in his own heart he knew that what he should be doing was moving his family away from Quel'Thalas, finding some place untouched by war and death and the accursed scourge. Finding a home where his wife and children would be safe and happy. Where all would be as it was just a few short years ago.

Every elf in the room felt the same. They all filed out slowly as if a terrible burden had been placed on them, some all-consuming weight that would crush them if they gave into their desire to remain more as civilians than military in this war. That if they didn't support Sylvanas and her planned war of attrition then their spring would have no hope of turning to summer. They had chosen to become an armed militia and they were faced right now with protecting their homes or overlooking that and trying to protect all of the lands, a task they felt they were too small to attempt.

"Everybody stop!" said Vespias loudly. "Listen to me! There is an alternative, just not one you will want to hear. But it must be said and discussed and agreed upon if we are to return to our normal lives!"

She waited till all the men had filed back into the room. She couldn't bear to see the desperation in their eyes, in her father's eyes and she knew it was time to speak. Time for action. With Nor at her side she took a spot at the head of the table and spoke in a loud and clear voice.

"You cannot do as Sylvanas asks!" she said matter-of-factly. "Your place is here, protecting your homes and farms. But the borders must be patrolled lest the scourge find them an easy passage into our forests. You need to use your next great resource. You need to use those of us who can ride and fight and stop thinking that this altercation does not affect us!"

The men mumbled and grunted their disapproval immediately. They had formed this militia to keep their families safe, not to send them to the front lines. "No!" they said almost in union. It was absurd! Sending children to fight a war was the last act of a desperate nation.

"Children?" she asked mockingly. "Children. You think of us as children yet we are most likely in better shape than you. Who among you can outshoot me? Which of you think you can best my brother Veron with a quarterstaff or mace? Which of you can outride my sisters on horse or strider? And how many of you think you can out-think and out-strategize my future husband?"

Her eyes danced in the flickering light from the fireplace as she moved around the now silent group of men. Her words had stung but they also rang true.

"Don't think too hard, any of you!" she snapped at them. "The answer is in your silence. It is in your bowed heads and slumped shoulders. You know we are not the children that you think we are or that you want us to be. Time has changed us and the times have changed us. We would enjoy nothing more than to be your children until our end days but that is not how it works. Children grow and when they do they must take their place in the village and keep it going, keep it alive and moving forward. In these dark times that means we need to mount and take our places in the ranks, doing our part to keep this world of ours safe and secure. We don't wish to move away from you. We wish to move _closer_ to you by being an extension of what you are, what you have taught us to be."

The men of the militia looked at each other and in an unspoken vote they silently agreed with the young elf that stood so arrogantly before them, her hands squarely on her hips and her eyes seeming to burn into their souls.

"I will see to it that all is made ready" she said much more softly now, "and what our plans will be. Don't fear for us, cheer us on and make us feel as important as you have been to us all our lives. Let us take charge of our destinies now and become the next generation of Quel'Thalassians."

Vessy and Nor left the meeting room and went door to door calling for the young people to meet them on the next morning to discuss what was happening. After all had agreed to be there the young lovers walked slowly back to their home, back to the warmth of the fire and the soft cushions that made the chairs so wonderful to sit on. Back to the myriad smells and sounds that made it a home and not a place that one would stay on some lengthy trip or vacation. She fell into one of those overstuffed chairs and thought of what was ahead of them.

How many nights would see them hungry, tattered from long hours on the paths that traversed the hillsides. Cold from the rains that were sure to come as the spring came to be, dirty from the mud they would bring. How many days would see them stoic and unhappy, wishing they were back in their homes, in their overstuffed chairs, eating their oversized plates of home-cooked food and sleeping in their oversized beds. How many days and nights of hardship before the threat was gone and they were free to become the children of their homes again? How many would be able to overcome the hardships of their posts and the horrors of war and be able to be even normal again let alone children?

Vesperis thought the same things as his daughter yet he knew the answer from experience. The answer was none.

Chapter 19:

A New Generation

It had been two weeks since Sylvanas stormed out of the meeting in Suncrown. Two weeks that she had been unable to adopt her plan of attack. Yes, she had said the borders would suffer but in reality she couldn't do that. After all, her own family still lived in Windrunner Village on the western shores of Quel'Thalas. Well, her family lived in the Spire but it was close enough to the village for her to at least try to look as unprivileged as possible. She had never been comfortable with her family's wealth and blamed it on so much of her misery in her adolescent years. Her mind crept back to those days when she was young and didn't have a war to occupy her. Yet even then her life seemed strife with too many problems, too many struggles about who she was.

"Riders approaching from the north General." said an aide, mercifully dragging her away from the unwanted memories of her youth. "They don't appear to be from Silvermoon."

"So the militia finally came to their senses." she thought as she pulled her boots on. "Now I can get this campaign going properly!"

Outside on the road that was still semi-frozen from the winter, a troop of one hundred and thirty-two riders approached the soldier's camp. At the head position was Vespias with the huge lion Kasi at her side and followed by her soon-to-be husband and her two sisters. She wore her usual leather armor on her shoulders, forearms, hands, hips, and thighs. It was a dull, dark brown and short spikes protruded from the surfaces of the pieces that had come to fit her so well. The subtle folds that fit a certain curve perfectly from time spent worn in the seasons that gave it such wonderful elasticity. Her breastplate was elven steel, marvelously crafted by her brother who had chosen to bring his support northward to Silvermoon rather than south with his sisters. The metal was black with red highlights in the form of striped borders and emblazoned on it was the head of a lion to symbolize both her leadership as well as her fierce nature. She remembered the night he presented it to her, how she had cried at such a selfless gift, and at the realization that her younger brother not only loved her but respected her as well. It was that same night that he told her he was going to Silvermoon instead of Thalassian Pass. He explained that while he had much faith in both the ranger units and the militia he didn't think they would be able to hold the scourge at bay forever. It was a chilling and uncanny premonition of what would come to pass that he had seen in a dream and he knew that soon his family would need his strength inside the alabaster walls of Silvermoon.

"Nor," she said softly as they reached the edge of the ranger camp, "keep Kasi with you and the troop while I go report to Sylvanas that we are here."

She looked back from her horse and saw her troop there and saw Kasi rubbing his big head against Nor's leg. She allowed a smile as she recalled that first meeting between the two "men" in her life. Nor was lifting her down from the wagon as Kasi rounded the corner of the house. All the lion saw was a strange man grabbing hold of his mistress and the cat went into attack mode. No sooner had the young elf released his grip when a huge paw swatted him away from her sending his body hurtling through the air like a rag doll. He hit the ground hard, unsure of what had happened but within a second or two he was engulfed by fur and was staring at two fangs fully eight inches long and dripping with malice.

"No, no, no, no!" screamed Vessy as she followed the cat towards his prey. "It's ok my big boy! He wasn't hurting me! Let him up!"

The great cat looked at her as if to make sure she wasn't issuing this order under some type of duress and grudgingly started to move away from the startled yet thankful young elf. He suddenly pressed Nor back to the ground and roared his disapproval inches from his face. As he would recount later, it was the loudest, most terrifying sound he would ever want to hear. It took almost two weeks before the cat began to ease back and allow a bit of trust to show and here they were now, best of friends.

Ahead of her the Ranger General emerged from her quarters and let a slight gasp escape from her as she saw Vessy and not her father riding towards her. She had always thought the young elf to be one of the more attractive in the villages and the sight of her in her armor just added to the mystique that surrounded the girl.

"Good morning General Windrunner." Vessy said with her own air of authority. "The militia of Quel'Thalas sends us, one hundred and thirty-two of her finest fighters to be at your disposal in matters of securing the borders along the hills. Furthermore, my father sends news that Silvermoon is dispatching an additional two hundred troops to man the stations along the borders."

"Well, your father is more of the diplomat than I gave him credit for." replied the elf. "You're not what I was expecting but I daresay more than I held hope for. Come in to my quarters and we can talk."

As she took hold of the girl's horse she beckoned an aide to her side.

"See to it that the militia is fed and their horses tended to." she ordered. "Captain Firstlight and I have much to discuss."

It took several seconds for the word "Captain" to settle into Vessy's head. She had always dreamed of one day becoming a Farstrider and attaining rank but this, this was unheard of.

"Yes, you and your troops will be under the orders of the Rangers." Sylvanas said as if sensing the confusion in the young elf. "Therefore, it is only fitting that the person in charge be attached to the Farstriders as a commander. You are that person Vespias. You may also extend rank to three other people in your unit to establish a chain of command. I know the formality of attaining rank is usually a cause for celebration with dining and dancing but as you can see, there is no comfort of home here. The dining will be sparse and usually cold before you can eat it and as for dancing, I can whistle a pretty good jig and spin you around the room a bit."

Vessy laughed at what the General had said. It was a good, hearty laugh that she suddenly realized she had not given in quite some time. She instantly took a liking to her commanding officer at that moment and returned to her serious face to go over plans for their disbursement.

Several hours later Vessy emerged from the small building hastily erected for the officers to be able to strategize without wind and rain hampering them. She turned a cold eye towards the sky noting that the clouds, while not intimating immediate rain, seemed to hold a threat above her head. She now wore the dull green cloak of a Farstrider Ranger with her new insignia of rank and pulled the hood up to shield her from the still wintery breeze that would occasionally meander through. The ground was still hard in places while mud cropped up in others. They were situated at the mouth of the Pass and she allowed herself to finally look at it and see why it was so important.

The walls of the pass were quite high and to her amazement almost vertical. Unlike most areas where the hills would slope gently down and create a passable valley of sorts between them, Thalassian Pass looked as if some unseen force had literally ripped the mountains apart. At its widest point the pass was no more than a sixty yard span and utterly devoid of any type of cover. There were no bushes or boulders to hide behind, no clefts in the walls that one could use to protect themselves from an onslaught of arrows. The pass didn't wind or even curve so vision was almost unlimited along the three mile stretch of this gauntlet. When a scouting party entered the other end Vessy could hear the sound of their hooves rattling off the walls long before she saw them, yet another defensive feature of this gateway into their forests. She envied the position of the defenders here. Her first duty was to split her troop in two and escort woodworkers to build the outposts along the hills on either side of the pass that would hold the sentries. She was not happy about that but she was now under command of General Windrunner and those were her orders.

Nor laughed at her approach and her uneasy return of salutes along the way. At first she didn't even understand _why_ they were saluting her until she remembered her rank was now showing.

"Don't laugh too hard Lieutenant!" she sneered as she tossed him a cloak. "You'll be getting them too now. We have our first orders so let's set about acting like the unit they think we are."

She handed the other two cloaks to Shira and Winnie completing her chain of command. She ordered Winaestra to always remain at the post with a small contingent of five men. Her position would be as a rider, to be a warning in any worst-case scenario. If the pass seemed as if it would be overrun she was to ride north with her unit and warn all of the settlements. Vessy took her to the side and explained that once she started her ride, she was to go directly home and warn Suncrown and then to stay with them till Silvermoon. The others would ride to their respective villages and do the same.

She then took the remaining troops, and split them into three units, not two as Sylvanas had suggested. The first unit she would command personally, the second unit would be Nor's and the third would be Shira's. She would take the east side of the hills to patrol while Nor would take the west. Vashira was to have her unit prepared at all times to either help defend the pass or to ride directly to any sign of orange smoke from the hills. She split the units herself, putting the best five riders with Winaestra and splitting the other three units with an equal number of archers and spearmen so their assaults would be balanced and precise. It took a few hours to do all this moving of people to their respective units and nighttime fell quickly in the pass.

Sylvanas had torch holders cut into the stone and they would light the pass for one mile during the night, flickering the shadows of imagined demons along the walls until morning once more allowed the light to enter the pass. The three units set up tents at the first approach of dusk and started cooking around the low lights of the fires. They had rabbit stews and shanks of shoveltusk that rotated above spits and the smells permeated the camp until even Sylvanas herself came to inspect. The soldiers had very little time to hunt and fresh meat and vegetables were a luxury they had not seen in quite some time. With the general and new captain's blessings, more food was put on the fires and the entire camp filled their bellies on an almost home-cooked meal that night. Sylvanas politely declined an offer to join Vessy and her family at the fire and instead took a small bit of food back to her quarters.

In the dim light of the cabin's one lantern she ate in silence, alone and feeling an onslaught of emotion sweeping through her. She had wanted so desperately to sit at the fires and chat about the people they knew and the state of the farms and villages back home. She desperately wanted to fit in again, be one of the girls. She wanted many things that night, things she knew she would never have since she chose to be an officer in the Rangers. Things that were normal for others were so distant for her. She finished her meal and laid back on her cot and remembered her nighttime ritual before she enlisted. She would bathe in Silverleaf scented water and then follow with an almost hour long hair brushing before putting on a silken robe and lying in a wonderfully overstuffed mattress. Within minutes she would be asleep and dream the most carefree dreams.

Now she thought, she stunk like the dirt that surrounded her, she was lucky to get even a quick brushing in, and her silken robes were replaced with armor. She lay on a hard cot, thankful to have even that and she wouldn't even take her boots off. The scourge had a penchant for nighttime attacks, no doubt designed to wear down the moral of her troops and to cause them to be weary all the time. Should an attack pop up she would have no time to pull her boots on or change from some frilly nightwear into her armor. No, she was a soldier on duty in a war zone. She ate when she could, slept when she could, and bathed when she could. Everything was done as opportunity allowed it to be and no amount of crying would change that. This was a hard life and one had to be hard to live it and even harder to command others who lived in it.

Chapter 20:

The Dogs Of War

For three weeks Vespias led her builder crews across the hills that flanked the pass and they averaged a post every two days. They built simple shacks that could hold four comfortably but they were not even close to being attack proof. For attacks the guards would have to make do with the surrounding topography but before they left their shack behind they had to light the braziers, two large cribs that held about one half ton of wood, mostly branches. Suspended above each crib was a bucket of the elven accelerant that would not only transform this into a blazing bonfire within seconds but would also send a plume of orange smoke spiraling up to five miles into the sky. A quick tug of the rope that hung down the face of the crib would simultaneously pull the lock and then tip the bucket. Vessy didn't know what made the accelerant and she cared even less. She was a warrior, born and trained to use her senses to kill. Let the scientists create accelerants and invent new weapons to lay waste to acres at a time; she had other callings and needed to heed them.

In those same three weeks she had put down seven incursions into the hillsides by the scourge. None of the attacks were large and she felt they were not even directed. The aberrations seemed to wander in and just attacked anything they saw, with no military targets sought out. Conversely, on the western side of the mountains Nor and his crews were having no problems at all and were actually about fifteen guard shacks ahead of Vessy. Runners would run from group to group about three times a day, always stopping at the Pass camp to make sure Winnie and Shira were kept in the loop and to gather information from them as well. Vessy had laughed at Sylvanas' joke and had indeed taken a liking to her but she still feared that the General would fall to an act of vengeance far too easily and as she had been taught all her life, there is never a proper time to rush into things.

It was in her first week's report to Vessy that Shira told her the new name her troops called their new home; Camp Misery and of course Sylvanas became Our Lady of Misery. Despite her position and age Vessy giggled like a schoolgirl who had just found a bit of naughty literature in the school library. Shira went on to describe the airs that had prompted her to name the camp thusly. Sylvanas would send the dragonhawk riders out at the first light of dawn to scour the valley that ran from their end of the pass all the way out to Light's Hope at which point the riders would split up and begin to examine all the trails that led into the mountains on the Lordaeron side of the pass. Not satisfied with their report she would then send scouting units out, one every hour to examine the same areas. The troops who remained in camp would be drilled all day and every day until it became more desirable to go out and face the scourge than to stay in Camp Misery.

From that point on her reports were mostly complaints about Sylvanas and her tactics. At least until she received this morning's report. This one was different. The dragonhawk riders returned much quicker than usual and after they reported to Sylvanas she began to mobilize the camp. Without folding into frenzy she finished the report before moving into action. She had gone over this scenario at least three times a day and she knew exactly what to do and how she would do it.

Vessy scribbled a quick note and sent her runner to Nor with it and called for her unit to finish their breakfasts post haste and get ready to ride. If what she had interpreted between the lines of Shira's report was correct then the scourge were massing for an assault on the pass. She sent her builders into the forests behind her where they were instructed to hide and at the first sign of scourge to ride as hard and as fast as they could towards the safety of Silvermoon, a good six day ride with a change of horses at several locations along the way.

With her unit mounted Vessy rode along the base of the mountain until she was about two miles away from base camp. From there she climbed her troops up a trail she had discovered that would bring her out along the cliffs above the pass. She had also found one on the other side that started about three miles from the camp and she hoped Nor remembered where it was.

"Have all the preparations been made at the sites?" she asked her archer's leader. "The buckets and logs in place?"

"Everything is set just like you told us you wanted it Vespias" the big young elf replied. "We should give them quite a surprise alright!"

Vessy shot the young elf a wildly devious grin as she pushed her mount and her teams further up into the mountains.

After three hours of hard climbing they finally reached the clear easy trail that ran along the rim where Vessy allowed herself a peek down into the narrow pass below her. She knew from Shira's reports that part of the training had been the quick deployment of barriers placed at strategic points in the pass and sure enough they were already in place. Vessy knew exactly where the scourge would bottle up now that she could see the layout from her unique perspective and had her unit place everything accordingly. While she was busy preparing she heard a shrill whistle, much like a hawk but all too human to one who had heard hawks all her life. She looked across the gap to the opposite cliffs and saw Nor and his troops spreading out along the cliffs. She pointed to the area she wanted the supplies at and he nodded and set to work preparing his side. Now all they had to do was wait.

Far to the south Lordaeron was falling steadily. Lord Barov in Scholomance had been turned to the scourge and controlled the area known as Caer Darrow. The family held the deeds to the towns of Brill, Tarren Mill, and Southshore as well as the Darrow where their opulent home was now a school of necromancy for Arthas' use. Further to the northwest Lord Rivendare had also been corrupted and was now the ruler of Stratholme. Darrowshire and Corin's Crossing lay in ruins, the flames from their destruction fanning out and engulfing the forest of Darrowmeer covering the lands in a putrid haze of death and destruction. The Scarlet spiritual center called Tyr's Hand seemed intact through all of this but it was a holy city to the Crusade and they refused to open it to everyone. Farms and homes along the main road burned as well and packs of roving undead blanketed the lands. That was, until Arthas gathered no less than three thousand of his corrupted scourge and faced them towards the Thalassian Pass and Ranger General Sylvanas Windrunner and her forces. His plan was well thought out and he knew the defenses in place. What he didn't know was the determination of a young elf named Vespias and her own plans to thwart any type of invasion on this day.

Just before the sun set over the mountains the sound of the advancing scourge army could be heard. They had not even entered the pass and already their incoherent moans could be heard as they dragged their bodies towards only a direction. They were so mindless that Arthas could only tell them "march north" for them to begin his assault. Rangers quickly ran through the pass igniting the torches along the last mile, illuminating the rapidly darkening pass with an eerie color of orange to better show the dancing shadows of the death that approached. Within minutes of the last runner's return to the safety of the camp the pass echoed the arrival of the mob within it, their ghastly voices rising in volume as well as the shuffling of their feet. They could run very well once their target was in view but until that time they just ambled along in a painful looking twist of their limbs. Vespias could see the ranks of the archers who would be the first to attack the undead and with a certain pride was grateful to see Sylvanas in the front line and not secluded in some tent far to the rear of the fight.

"Archers!" the general commanded, "All eyes on me! At my attack let loose your own arrows and don't stop until you hear my order! We will be victorious this day! We will repel the invaders and keep our homes safe!"

Behind her the archers all screamed in agreement and behind them the infantry pounded swords against shields, the sound of the din echoing along the pass and covering the sound of the approaching army of death. Then an unnatural silence filled the void between the mountains as both sides seemed to tense before the final rush. Fog had crept into the pass and the line of sight had dropped dramatically cutting the view off till the start of the torches. Sylvanas stood tall at the head of her troops while above her Vessy and Nor prepared to unleash their own hell upon the unsuspecting scourge. Tense moments passed to minutes and suddenly in the dimming glow of the furthest torches the first undead could be seen with dozens more filing in behind him. The pass was only wide enough to allow them to fit no more than twenty to twenty-five across and the way they moved allowed even less than that. As if on cue, Sylvanas raised her bow, elegant fingers holding the arrow loosely to the taunt string, waiting for the moment she would draw it back and begin the assault. Not waiting for her, the scourge raised their voices in an unearthly scream and began to rush towards the elven defenders intent on making their way north as they had been commanded.

Sylvanas let her first arrow meet her cheek, turned her head slightly and kissed the shaft of it before letting it loose towards its target. Seconds later it had lodged itself into the forehead of the first undead to breech the light and less than a second after that a volley of arrows dropped dozens of the brutes in their tracks. More scourge clamored over the fallen only to meet the same fate unaware that above them things were about to heat up. Vessy had calculated the kill zone to within three yards and she lit the tip of an arrow and fired it high in the air to signal their attack.

Her infantry began to throw bucket after bucket of accelerant down onto the bewildered undead below them while on the opposite side Nor's archers began to ignite arrow tips and took their aim into the valley below them. On his command they let loose and Vespias watched that first arrow travel down and hit a bucket that lay on the ground. In an instant the bucket exploded into the most magnificent fireball the young elf ever saw. Scourge all around the bucket exploded into flames as well and ran about shrieking before collapsing into heaps of burning ashes.

Sylvanas looked up in surprise and smiled widely as she saw Vespias and her troops on the ridges above them.

"Give these brutes a lesson in strategy!" she screamed above the din of the battle, "Show them why they should not have awoken the dogs of war this night!"

Vespias rained fire down on the undead in the form of the buckets as well as tree trunks she had coated with the accelerant, lit on the ridge and then allowed to roll down the sides of the canyon, lighting the stone walls as they went in a spectacular blaze of destruction. Ahead of them Sylvanas and her rangers rained arrows down from their positions until the scourge demons had to climb over the bodies of the dead to advance.

But advance they did. Even with all the destruction and death the scourge advanced. Their numbers were too many and their mindless will to follow orders kept them from panicking at the onslaught of the elven army. Vespias watched in helpless horror as they advanced, inch by inch, gaining ground and moving towards the end of the pass. She could see the infantry moving in place below her, the first sign that the scourge might achieve their goal and break through. But her eye also caught something else. She could see the last lines of the scourge well down the pass but she could also see something behind them as well. Tigers.

She saw tigers crouching in slowly, at least a dozen of them in what looked like an attack pattern but this was unheard of. Tigers were solitary hunters and they would never pack like this. They also would not hunt the strong smelling undead before them, they would hunt live, fresh meat. This was a good curiosity for the elf and she watched them very closely. Further back behind them she could see more movement but it was locked too deep in the shadows for her to see what it was.

Suddenly the pass exploded in a blinding white light and for the next few seconds all participants in the battle were left in the darkness of their own minds while their eyes tried desperately to re-adjust to the darkness of their battle. The sounds they heard told them there was still a battle raging but it was not them or the undead waging it.

Chapter 21:

New Allies Mon

It took several minutes for Vespias to get enough of her sight back to see what was happening. Where the tigers had crouched at the back of the scourge attackers there now stood fifteen trolls, some calling crushing winds to batter the undead against the rocks while others called down lightning strikes against them. At the mouth of the pass Sylvanas had lifted her sword and drove her infantry into the onslaught of scourge, hacking and chopping her way towards the other side of the mass of bodies. When the trolls saw the elves getting too close to their area attacks they set them aside and began to target individual undead, blasting them with some type of energy that seemed to form in the troll's three-fingered hands as a greenish ball that they hurled. Vespias could now see behind the first line of trolls and her eyes widened at the sight she beheld.

There were hundreds upon hundreds of trolls, most of them as infantry with their wooden shields in the form of great masks and long spears with massive stone tips. Behind them stood wave after wave of archers and behind them stood a cavalry of sorts. Huge troll warriors mounted on what looked like dinosaurs. Vespias shook herself back to reality and jumped to her feet.

"Mount up!" she yelled loud enough to be heard on the other side of the pass as well. "Get down in that valley and make your stand!"

As far as Vessy was concerned the pass now held two enemies. Just because one attacked the other made neither no less dangerous. If the trolls were there to attack the elven outposts and just wanted the scourge out of the way, that would have made complete sense to Vessy. Even though Nor had told them how the troll nations were being pulled together and no longer attacking their old homelands, how did she know these trolls were of that frame of mind.

Sylvanas seemed to have similar thoughts for she still fought with a fury to get past the scourge and onto the next enemy. The troll leader barked out commands and the magic wielders at the forefront fell back and the warriors moved in, the sounds of their shields connecting with the scourge heads making a dull thud echo throughout the pass. Time and again the elven general would slash and hack with her sword, severing heads and arms from the bodies they were attached to yet no blood spilled from the wounds. In fact, as she surveyed the ground around her the meager amount of blood there had been spilled by her troops. Yet one more thing to cloud her dreams at night, one more thing to cause sleep to flee from her as though she were death itself.

For the next hour both sides hacked and slashed their way towards each other, grim and silent. The scourge fell before them like leaves stripped from a tree in the first month of winter, leaving their rotting bodies in the mud of the pass. Their still grinning skulls on the ground staring like some macabre puppets, mocking and cruel as they stared at the oncoming elves and trolls. Sylvanas was close to the troll leader now and prepared to deliver her first blow.

"General no!" yelled Nor as he leapt over a stack of broken scourge bodies. "These trolls are allies! They are not here to fight us!"

"Explain yourself Lieutenant!" commanded Sylvanas, glaring at the young elf for having stopped her.

"This is Vol'Jin ma'am." he said, his voice much lower and more respectful. "He leads the renewed troll clans and is not here to fight us but rather to fight against the scourge as we do."

"Da boy be right in dis matter." claimed Vol'Jin as he watched the last of the undead threat fall behind Sylvanas. "I suspect you be wantin' some answers to da questions dat be in your head. Let's talk den and clean de air. Come along boy!"

Vol'Jin walked towards the elven end of the pass without waiting for anyone else. The Ranger General quickly fell in next to him and walked as purposefully as she could as a reminder to her troop who was still in charge here. Behind the two leaders Nor walked, his eyes meeting Vespias' and he smiled sheepishly at her as he passed. Vespias issued orders for the pass to be cleared of scourge bodies and for the troll armies to be escorted back into the camp area. Like Sylvanas she had seen too much troll aggression to just forgive and forget on a whim. She still shuddered when her father would tell of how close she came to being the magic mojo in some evil troll cooking pot that night over twenty years ago. And now, against all her better judgment she was leading an entire troll army into her camp.

Hours passed, maybe three or four, Vespias had lost count, before the trio emerged from the general's make-shift command center. Sylvanas smiled as she held her hands up for silence, her steely eyes scanning the crowd until they caught Vespias' eyes. She turned to whisper in Vol'Jin's ear and pointed towards the young elf while Nor beamed a smile to her.

"Rangers and militia hear my words!" Sylvanas cried out, "There is now a truce between the warriors under command of Vol'Jin and those of you under my command. Vol'Jin has entered our lands to bring a proposal to King Sunstrider of a permanent peace among our people and the members of the Horde. We all share a common enemy in Arthas and everybody…alliance, horde, and elven people…need to come together to defeat this menace. As a show of goodwill the troll army will be stationed here while Vespias and her militia escort Vol'Jin to Silvermoon at his request."

Initially Vessy was stunned and then her feelings turned towards anger as she thought about what happened. Why had nobody spoken to her before they used her in some bargaining deal? Why would Nor allow this to happen? He knew how she felt about trolls. She resolved to let him have a piece of her mind and as she stormed back to her tent and waited for Nor to enter.

"You have some nerve!" she said angrily. "Who do you think you are to use me as a bargaining chip? You think you own me because I agreed to marry you? And that other overblown pompous windbag and her wheeling and dealing…well I'm not going to take this lying down! You know I consider trolls as mortal enemies. Humph, grand mojo my ass! I'll show him grand mojo!"

"You just did little sister," chuckled Vol'Jin from outside the tent. "An' I got to add it be grand indeed! Da mojo dat is, not your ass! Too thin for a troll's taste."

Vessy had a look of shock pasted across her face long after the large troll barged into her tent and sat down, offering them both a good wine he had brought along to "negotiate".

"Do you know why it was _you_ I be choosin' to lead me on dis journey little sister?" asked the troll casually. "No? Well, here it is then. Because you hate my kind so much is why I want you wit me. If I can be changin' your mind then I can be changin' all da minds of da elves."

"Good luck in that!" replied the elf venomously, happy that Vol'Jin was aware of her hatred for all trolls. "And I have more to say as well" she said lifting a hand to Nor who had not yet even gotten a sound out. "In this caravan I am the commanding officer. What I say goes and if you don't like it then crawl back to your filthy jungle hut and forget you ever heard of this place!"

Silence hung in the air like the sharpened edge of a sword ready to remove an insolent head or a mocking smile from some imagined prisoner as the haughty elf stared at the huge troll who squatted before her, the look of shock at being spoken to in such a manner still etched across his face.

"Hooooo-eeeeee!" laughed the big troll seconds later. "You was right boy, dis one is chock fulla da grand and glorious mojo dat makes up a warrior queen! Did you hear how she tell me off mon? Oh, Vol'Jin gonna get along wit you very well little sister! Good night and I'll see you at six-tirty in da mornin'!"

Vespias turned to look at Nor incredulously as the large troll left her tent. She was even more confused now than she had been before. She had deliberately gone out of her way and insulted the troll leader and yet it only made him like her more?

"What the hell is going on Nor?" she asked the harried elf. "What makes him want to be near me when I want to be as far away from him and his troops as I can be?"

Nor sighed and sat on the edge of the cot inside the tent and gently pulled Vessy down to sit next to him. He took her hand and looked in her eyes trying to think of a way to lessen the shock of what he was about to reveal to her.

"OK, it's like this;" he began. "Apparently you're some kind of legend in troll mythology. The story goes that one night a woman-child would be born to humble parents deep in the woods. She would possess a mojo or magic in her so great that it would make her the chieftain of her people one day. She would unite the elven people back with their ancestors the trolls and peace would last between them for a hundred thousand years."

"Trolls?" she asked with a smirk. "He thinks trolls are my ancestors?"

"Let me finish my love" Nor injected, cutting off the tirade he knew was coming. "The legend also goes on to say she will lead her people away from annihilation at the hands of a madman and deny this man the genocide he seeks. She will do all this but at a cost more dear to her than anything she could imagine. Her people's lives will cost her those she loves most. She must watch them die before she can save those she was tasked to protect."

For long minutes Vespias stared at the floor before lifting a tear-streaked face towards her future husband. She looked into his eyes and saw resignation in them, as if he was prepared to do his part no matter how hard to make her life what it was meant to be.

"I am not the woman in this prophecy Nor." she said slowly and deliberately. "There is no way I can be this woman. If I were to lose you I would die just as if a sword cut into my heart. This is why I cannot be that woman! I don't want to live if I have to do it without you by my side!"

The tears rolled furiously down her cheeks as she spoke, her choking sobs lifting on the air and carrying back to the camp. Her sister's heard them and hung their heads as did the Lady of Misery. Her own heart broke with the realization that she must pass this tragedy onto the young elf, because she had already determined that should anything happen to her, Vespias was to be named the new Ranger General and carry this fight forward. She would be the one to either win this war and drive Arthas back to Northrend or to lead whatever remained of Silvermoon's sons and daughters to safety in some far off land. Sylvanas had decided this and enclosed it in the letter that she now sealed, pressing the crest shaped circle on her ring into the hot, blood-colored wax that sealed the envelope.

"Forgive me my dear Vespias" she thought as she placed the envelope into the satchel with all the other reports that would be going to Silvermoon with the convoy. "Once you are in command you will understand that sometimes a single life must shatter so thousands more will go on. We all need to make sacrifices for the better good. I just hope yours don't come at too high a price."

Chapter 22:

Guess Who's Coming For Dinner

The following morning Vespias woke at the first light of dawn as was her usual custom. She crept past Nor's still snoring body and lightly stepped over Kasi, towel in hand and heading for the light peeking past the tent flaps. Kasi was still in guard mode, leftover from the previous night when he smelled troll in his tent. His hackles rose and a low growl began to lift from his throat before Vessy had assured him everything was alright. He would take her word for it but he knew what he smelled and he would remain on guard.

Vessy stepped out into the new morning, the smell of Peacebloom already beginning to sprout and the golden streaks of clouds in the deep blue skies above telling her this would be a fine spring day. She was heading for a lake close by their camp to wash a bit of the battle from her and hoped the water wasn't too cold. There was a small waterfall that sent water heated by a hot spring into the lake so the water was much warmer than would be normal for this time of year in a lake but depending on how much wind blew across, it could still get cold. The birds in the trees sang out their morning songs as she moved along the path towards the lake, the sound of the waterfall reaching her ears as well and joining in one of nature's symphonies that always brightened the young elf's day. Her father had taught her to recognize the music of nature and it was a gift she would always thank him for.

Vessy looked around before stripping her clothes off and slipping into the cool, blue waters of the lake. It was not as warm as she would have liked but it was tolerable and it was most certainly welcomed. She allowed her body a few minutes to adjust to the temperature and then swam blithely towards the waterfall and its warming current. In the water the young girl moved with the grace of a seal, quickly diving and weaving her way through the trees and scrub that had fallen into the lake over the millennia before shooting back to the surface to take another deep breath before diving again. She swam this way across the lake until she felt the warm crash of the waterfall entering the water just a few feet ahead of her, rolling slowly onto her back and surfacing right under its warm caress.

"Good morning Vespias." said a voice behind her. "It certainly is a beautiful morning isn't it?"

The startled elf wheeled at the sound of the voice and fully snapped to attention at the sight of Sylvanas sitting on a rock next to the waterfall where the first rays of the morning sun were warming her nude body. Her raven black hair was still wet and dripping and small droplets of water glistened on her shoulders and legs, shimmering in the sun.

"Come now Captain," smiled Sylvanas as she lowered herself back into the water. "no need for formalities in such a place. Back home we had the comfort of bathing alone behind locked doors and in mountains of perfumed bubbles. I see no doors and Elune knows there are no scented bubbles to be found anywhere, just two women trying to wash away the stench of battle. Please dear, call me Sylvanas and try to think of me as a friend right now and not your commanding officer."

"Alright Sylvanas" the elf answered with a smile. "The water feels so good this morning doesn't it?"

The two women chatted like next-door neighbors for the next thirty minutes, Sylvanas showing a very down-to-earth side of her that Vessy found so refreshing. She laughed and joked about people they both knew including the prim and oh so proper Vereesa who was commanding a garrison in Silvermoon now. It seemed that while Sylvanas did love her as a sister she wasn't too fond of her as a _person_. It turned out that Sylvanas had never been comfortable with her family's wealth and status as it had been a burden on her for personal reasons that she explained she would rather talk about some other time. Vessy understood all about secrets that one kept from the world and didn't try to pry it out of the woman, following her grandfather's sage advice of waiting till they're ready to talk.

"You seem very happy with your upcoming marriage." said the elf as she spun Vessy around and began rubbing the dirt away from the girl's shoulders. "Nor is a good man to you?"

"A wonderful man." replied Vessy as she relaxed under the older elf's touch. "He treats me like a queen all the time and…"

"TIME!" she yelled. "I have to get ready to bring the troll to Silvermoon! I have to go!"

In her haste as she had spun around to tell Sylvanas her breasts had rubbed against the older woman's, sending a shiver down Sylvanas' spine. Her eyes narrowed as she allowed this sensation to envelope her for a moment before returning to the present.

"Vespias" she said softly, taking the girl's hand. "I know this was not the ideal detail for you and I am sorry but you're the only one I can depend on to show him our ways and customs. Take time to learn his as well my dear. I believe a new age is dawning for the elven people and somehow these trolls will be a part of it. Learn to trust him not just for my sake, but for the sake of all the Highborn. Now go, I can hear him cackling in camp already!"

Sylvanas watched the younger elf swimming away from her for long minutes before retreating to the seclusion of the rocks set behind the waterfall once more. Vespias was more beautiful than she had imagined and she felt a sudden envy for Nor. Within minutes she was behind the safety of the falls where no prying eyes could see her and more importantly, her thoughts.

Vespias raced along the trail and back to her tent nearly bowling Nor over in her haste. He gave her a customary good morning kiss before she pushed him out of the way and began to get dressed.

"Make sure that blue-skinned ape doesn't barge in her while I'm naked!" she said as she pulled her undergarments on.

She looked at Nor incredulously as she saw he was more interested in watching her than keeping the tent flaps closed. She twirled a finger at him as a silent command to turn around and smiled to herself as the man she had given her heart to dutifully did as she requested and made sure no one would be able to enter the tent. Moments later the camp erupted in yells and screams and the distinct roar of Kasi, who it seems, had discovered trolls.

Vessy and Nor raced to the troll area to find Kasi backing several of them up against a tent while others ran for their weapons. Just as the big lion was about to swat a huge clawed fist at the first of many kills he would enjoy a large troll leapt at the lion, strong arms circling the beasts neck. With very little effort Kasi shook Vol'Jin to the ground and now circled the troll, teeth glistening in the morning sun and growls emitting from his throat.

"Kasi no!" commanded Vessy as she held back a giggle. "Come here my big boy! Come here and relax, it's ok. He's a…friend now."

As the lion took a place next to the elf she had a puzzled look on her face. Had she really just referred to a troll as a friend? She shook her head and then laughed at the even more puzzled look on Vol'Jin's face. Not only was this small girl an accomplished warrior but she commanded beasts as well? Vol'Jin's opinion of Vessy climbed even higher in the next few moments as his brain processed all that had happened. Vessy smiled at the big troll and then turned an impatient look at the gathering of trolls and elves that had rushed to the commotion.

"Asses and elbows people!" Vespias commanded. "That's all I want to see! This caravan leaves in five minutes. If you people want a little R&R with your families I suggest you cut the bullshit and be ready. That goes for you too Vol'Jin. I make no exceptions."

Vol'Jin chuckled at the young elf's profane tirade and lifted his lanky frame from the ground. He was almost seven feet tall when he chose to extend to his full height but in typical troll fashion he would be hunched most of the time. Trolls had only three fingers on their hands and just two toes and reveled in running about barefoot. They seemed to receive their spiritual power from spirits they called Loa, and they used a dark magic called voodoo. Vol'Jin himself was lean and lanky in appearance and Vessy was told he was a tribal shadow hunter. That he mixed the traditional hunter with this voodoo and created a much more potent attacker. He used black arrows; both shaft and feather as black as midnight and the tips all seemed to glow slightly. The sight of them caused an involuntary shudder to pass through Vessy and she was sure it was some type of poison.

She watched as a troll woman walked one of those dinosaurs the trolls rode towards Vol'Jin, handing him the reigns. She watched them speak for a moment and she saw the woman lightly touch the big troll's arm before he leapt into the saddle of his mount. In any language, elven, troll, or human she knew what that touch meant and the feelings behind it. Looking past the trolls she watched Sylvanas walk towards her command post, curious as to why the older elf had quickly looked away when she caught her eye. Nothing she needed to worry about right now she concluded as she fastened her own saddle and packs on her horse.

"Vespias this is Bwemba" said Vol'Jin as he approached the young elf with the troll woman next to him. "She is in command in my absence but she wanted to meet you."

Vespias found herself smiling and extending a hand out to the woman, a most unnatural scenario to find herself in. Perhaps the words of Nor and Sylvanas had sunk in finally and these people were indeed friends, not the hated enemy she grew up with.

"I never expected da Hali'Khal to be so beautiful" said Bwemba softly. "But it just be seemin so natural now. She be gifted with so much why not wit beauty too?"

Bwemba gently took Vessy's hand and led her a few feet from the men.

"Hali'Khal," she said as she looked into the elf's eyes, "da fate of bot' our people rest wit you now. Da Darkspear tribe, my people and Vol'Jin's, we need you ta be da warrior dat legend says you be. You got ta be stayin' focused and ready ta fulfill your destiny. I will be wit you all da way, or my loa will. Whatever comfort dat be bringin' is da least I can do."

Bwemba turned from the elf and gave Vol'Jin another touch on the arm and then turned and walked back to the camps of the troll warriors. In some strange way her words filled Vespias with both courage and despair at the same time. Once again word of her destiny as already written filled the elf with dread. She had always been taught that one could shape their own destiny by actions and deeds and that no destiny was pre-shaped. She made a note to speak to her grandmother about this. She was wise and worldly far beyond her appearance and surely she would have an answer on this.

Minutes later she lifted a hand and dropped it forward and the troop of militia moved forward. They had two weeks to get Vol'Jin to Silvermoon, more than enough time. Vespias waved as the first of her riders left the caravan and rode off towards their homes. Along the way she would lose more than half of her people in a similar fashion and when she reached the sleepy crossroads that led to Suncrown Village only five riders would continue on while all the rest would scatter across open fields and down the other paths. Vespias along with Nor and her sisters would ride the few short miles to their home with Vol'Jin in tow. She wondered what her father would do when he saw the huge troll riding the black dinosaur amble towards their home with them. She stifled a chuckle that wanted to escape when she thought of her telling him "look who's come for dinner father".

Moments later she hurried whispers to Winnie and Shira and they spurred their horses to a quick gallop and disappeared on the road ahead in minutes.

Chapter 23:

Action And Reaction

At the Firstlight home Vash was in the yard planting her flowers as she had done since their first springtime in the home. She would also plant many herbs but not until she was sure the weather would stay on the warmer side. She had just placed the last seeds in their furrows when she heard the joyous screams of her daughters as they leapt over the fence that surrounded the property. She sprang to her feet and ran to meet them as Yava and Veron rushed from the home to see what was happening, tears streaming down her cheeks. She grabbed both of them as they dismounted, as relieved as any mother would be when their child returns from war and held them as if she would never let them go again. Yava rushed to the hugging women and added her arms and ample love to theirs.

For what seemed an eternity they held each other while Veron smiled at the generations of his women. He had dispatched a local boy who was working at the home to fetch Ves from the hills above and waited patiently for the hunter to return.

"Now that you're home I know I can't let you go again" sobbed Vash as she held her daughters tightly. "I just can't do it. I've been a nervous wreck these last two months, frightened that every rider who approached was bringing news of your deaths. No, I will not let you go back there."

Just as she said that her thoughts suddenly filled with Vespias. Holding back the fear she looked at her daughters in the eyes and asked why she wasn't with them.

A wave of relief flashed through her body when the girls explained what was going on and she even managed a chuckle at Vessy's clear thoughts to send them ahead to prepare everybody. Having her children home meant so much to Vash that she didn't care if Vessy had the entire horde forces following her to dinner. Moments later the sight of Seva and then Ves vaulting the fences prompted Vash to leave them to explain to their father while she explained to her father.

More than once Vessy's horse would catch sight of the carnivore that Vol'Jin rode and would whinny and shy away causing Vessy to curse and fight the beast the whole way so far.

"I should have made you take a horse!" she yelled at the big troll. "What the hell is that thing you ride anyway?"

"Oh dis be Chogarr, my raptor" answered the troll as if asked about a child. "I been da only mudder to Chogarr since he come from da egg. You want ta try an' ride him?"

Now Vessy's curiosity had been pushed and she immediately stopped her horse and slid off her saddle. She looked the raptor over, taking in his beautifully strong legs and the slashing claw on each foot. He stood a good seven feet tall and his red eyes looked her over nervously.

"Ha!" laughed Vol'Jin as the raptor skittered away from the girl. "Even Chogarr be afraid of Hali'Khal. But he'll be good an let you ride him."

"What does 'Hali'Khal' mean Vol'Jin?" asked the elf as she caressed the raptor's neck to calm him.

Her tone had become much softer with the troll as she questioned him and likewise his became almost fatherly when he spoke to her. He explained that it was the name given in legend to the girl from outside the troll villages who would give the trolls that which they needed to unify the tribes and reclaim their home. The same girl who would lead her own people out of genocide.

"Now you climb up nice an' slow little sister." smiled the big troll as he helped her into the saddle. "Don't move fast till he be good wit anudder person on him back. Remember, he be on two legs not four so he be wicked fast and wicked agile. He can duck an' weave like a fighter."

He gingerly let go of the raptor who stood motionless for a minute. Vessy started to speak to him in her usual calming tones that she only used on frightened animals. At the first sound of her voice the beast lifted his head and screeched as if he had swallowed one hundred hawks and took off at full speed, leaping over logs and ducking under low branches in his effort to remove the girl from his back. Vessy was just as determined to hold onto her spot and dug her knees into the raptor's sides and lowered her head to a point that was lower than his could go. Their race went on for a good ten minutes, Chogarr unable to shake her and Vessy unable to rein him in and control him. A sharp whistle from Vol'Jin brought the exhausted mount back to him with an equally exhausted elf perched on his back.

A quick look at the position of the sun and the beating her body had just taken from Vol'Jin's raptor made Vessy decide it would be a good place to camp for the night. The remainder of her troop, still laughing from the sight of her wild ride on the beast set about preparing their tents and cooking fires. She was glad she had sent her sisters on ahead, knowing how much they had missed being home. She knew they had already arrived since her home was only another three hours away but she needed the time to speak with Vol'Jin, to try and understand these trolls. They were so much different than the ones she had grown up hating. Yes, they sounded the same and they looked the same but they were different, the Darkspear and Amani. They spent the next few hours eating a wonderful dinner that one of the troop had made, a wild stew that was so satisfying to the troll he pushed his lanky frame for a third helping and sat afterwards with his lean stomach distended, and talking of many, many things. The stars came out after a high wind blew away any lingering clouds and they looked down on a sight never before seen in Quel'Thalas, the sight of an elf and a troll sitting peacefully, talking and even laughing and deep in a conversation where neither party was bound and awaiting death.

Back in the dark lands of Lordaeron a very angry Arthas stormed about in his necropolis demanding answers as to why he hadn't known the troll army was so close and where they were going. He searched long and hard for answers, and in the end he had only one conclusion. The mages of Dalaran had to have been responsible. They had to have opened portals for the trolls to pass through. Maybe even Jania was among them, helping to overthrow him.

"Bitch!" he muttered as he walked towards his planning room. "When I bring Dalaran to ashes around her feet she'll wish she was dead and when she does I'll grant her wish!"

With a wave of his hand he motioned for his council to join him in the room. He had much to consider now that the trolls had shown their support on the elves behalf. He still knew his greatest threat was Sylvanas and her rangers and the time had come for his next plan, to capture the Ranger General. He was never interested in prisoners but this time he wanted one, and he wanted her alive. For this he would need his death knights and by the calculations of their trainers they were still at least three months away from being ready.

"You have two months to have them on the field." hissed the lich as he left the room. "Two months."

A shiver passed through Sylvanas as she prepared for her first raid on the scourge. For the first time she had more than enough personnel in camp to carry out the plans she had laid out to the militia in what seemed a lifetime ago. No matter what she was when she was alone with her thoughts, on the field she was Ranger General Sylvanas Windrunner, Commander of the Farstrider Rangers and probably the best tactician that had ever taken the field for Silvermoon. On this night she would begin a reign of terror of her own, cutting the scourge forces down to nothing and forcing Arthas to face her himself. She had no fear of him and why should she. As far as she knew he was just a boy who had gone mad and killed his father. He didn't create the mindless scourge, the wizard Kel'Thuzad had with his plague-laced grain. All he did was direct their attacks, against her and against Uther. She wondered how the paladin was holding up in the tiny chapel compound. She would stop and see before she set out on her mission to eradicate the scourge from her home.

The stars that had watched the start of peace between age old enemies now watched as a war between new enemies would begin in earnest below their sparkling luminescence. As if to close their eyes the clouds once more began to drift in and cover them, plunging the world below into darkness that still did not match the burning hatred in Arthas and the growing hatred in his opponent. Darkness that would grow and overtake the world they had both known in their youth and forever changing it in ways neither could comprehend. It was a prime example of the first lesson any warrior learns, and that is that for every action there is a reaction. For every push there is a harder push to make up lost ground and acquire new ground. For every pull there is a stronger pull to regain what was lost and to take even more. And for every kill there must be two kills to regain the advantage of numbers. Every action has a reaction. It must or there is no war.

Arthas had pushed into Quel'Thalas and now Sylvanas prepared to push back harder. She wanted to secure Lordaeron away, one acre at a time if need be. She would secure an area and establish a foothold before moving to the next area. She would secure the area from the pass to the chapel first as she planned. Once that was secure she would bring her troll guards down to guard that before she moved onto the next area. Her plan was to send Uther and his paladins west towards the Eastwall Tower while she moved south and secured the area leading to Tyr's Hand. It was her plan that the Scarlet army would mobilize once the roads in front of them opened.

Then with Uther to the west and the Scarlet Crusade to the south she would move towards the center and free all the small towns and farms like Corin's Crossing and Darrowshire until the main road was cleared from the pass all the way to the Bulwark. Once this had been achieved they could march on Stratholme, purging the city a second time and then burning it to the ground. It was no longer a city that could be salvaged, but a place where death had claimed its home. Yes thought Sylvanas, she would burn the city to the ground, leaving no structure standing to hold even the smallest memory of what happened there. She would make sure that not even a signpost remained. She would show Arthas how to purge a city. But first she had to start. She looked behind her at the fifteen hundred rangers who sat in columns of four, unit banners waving in the rapidly cooling breeze and she lifted her hood up onto her head and spurred her horse to begin the start of the new glory that would be hers and Quel'Thalas' for millennia to come.

The same cool night air caused a shiver to play along Vessy's spine as she slept in her tent, causing her to push herself deeper into Nor's body lying next to her. He felt her moving and pulled himself over her even more, pulling the blanket up to cover her back once again. Sleep had never really taken hold of him and he lay there now awake, his mind unable to quiet the myriad voices asking questions to which he had no answers. He had learned what Vessy's destiny was but what was his? Was it his destiny to die so that hers would be fulfilled? More importantly, if that was the path he was chosen to follow, would he be strong enough to do it for her? He prayed to Elune that his love was that strong as he passed once more into a fitful sleep.

Chapter 24:

An Heirloom

The next morning came all too fast for the travelers yet not fast enough. Less than a mile from the crossroads Vespias bade farewell to the elves of her troop and made plans to meet them here in three weeks' time. She knew many would not come back, it was human nature. They had all been eager to show their mettle before but after a couple of months in the mud, a few scourge attacks, and a major skirmish some would feel less inclined to take their chances again. Vessy bore no ill will towards them; after all, she would do the same if it weren't for her damned resolve to see things to the end. But as for right now, as the last of the riders disappeared into the forest that surrounded them the war was a million miles away and she would soon be home, safe in her family's arms once more. She lifted her nose to the morning breeze and could swear she smelled her mother's famous pancakes and…yes damnit; it was that horrible coffee her father made. Kasi was excited as well at the smell however faint it was and would run at a trot towards it and then turn and run back to Vessy, his big bronze eyes pleading with her till finally she laughed and sent him on ahead.

"I tink it be time ta go." Said Vol'Jin, sniffing the air. "I be smellin some mighty good coffee somewhere an' a cup would go pretty smooth here."

Vespias and Nor just looked at each other as the troll mounted his raptor. It figured that a troll would find Ves' coffee a "good" smell. Even his dogs shied away from it and you know what they sniff and lick all day. But that was neither here nor there and Vessy was anxious to cross these last few miles and be in her own bed as soon as possible. Somewhere in the forest ahead of her Kasi was "chuffing" a quick tonal growling sound that served to alert Seva he was coming and to lay a sound trail for his mistress to follow. Vessy spurred her mount on as she covered ground quickly, the rhythm of the horse's hooves on the fresh-grown grass playing a song of joy to her ears. She had cut across the fields rather than follow the roads and after cresting a short hill, there it was. Her home was just within reach now and she took in every last detail of it as she rode hard to cover the distance.

"FATHER!" she screamed as Ves stepped out the door just as she vaulted the last fence.

She leapt from the horse, throwing herself into his arms and holding him as tight as she could. Behind him Vash rushed out at the sound of her eldest child and once again the entire family it seemed gathered in a group hug complete with tears and kisses that seemed to go on forever. Nor was not relieved of his part either as Vash grabbed hold of him and yanked him into the foray as well. Standing back, Vol'Jin took in all of this, looking on in wonderment at the tight closeness of this family. Moments later he hung his head, sadness taking hold as he replayed the words of the prophecy in his head;

"At the cost of that which is most important to her heart…" was the exact line of the story and the troll looked on and hoped that the cost was not her family. He wanted his people saved as well as hers but not at price that would take away all her desire to live as well.

Ves looked up and into the troll's eyes and then lifted himself away from his daughter. She watched him with tense eyes as he walked around the pile of people and stood in front of Vol'Jin, pulling himself to his full height and never taking his eyes away from the troll's.

"I am Vesperis." he said holding out a hand. "My daughter has sent word that you are not like the trolls who attack us at every opportunity. She says you want peace. Is this true?"

"Yes Mon it be da trut' so help me." answered the troll, his large hand grasping Ves'. "An' before we be getting to da meat of dis visit lemme say dat you got a glorious child dere. An anudder ting Mon...I'll be takin' a cup of dat grand coffee I been smellin' all da way here!"

Ves thanked Vol'Jin for the compliment he knew was in there somewhere and led the troll to a set of benches in the garden where they could sit and talk. He poured a big mug of his coffee and the troll drank it straight down, steam still coming from his throat as he held out the cup for more. Ves laughed and poured the second cup which mercifully, the troll nursed this time.

Vol'Jin turned deadly serious as he and Ves spoke about what led the troll to these shores and to some degree the prophecy and Vessy's role in it. Ves in turn told him about the preparations that had been made not only in the forests but in Silvermoon as well. Then he turned their conversation towards the mountains that sat just south of the village.

"Just past those mountains live the trolls that have been attacking us for as long as I can remember." said Ves. "What do we do about them?"

"Ohh haa Mon, dey ain' gonna be a problem no more" replied the troll. "I promise you dat. I got my emissary wit dem even as we be speakin'. He gonna make dem unnerstand da error of de ways dey been livin' aroun' here."

"And if they don't agree?" asked Ves. "What then Vol'Jin? Are your people going to look the other way when we take matters in our own hands?"

Ves was pushing the troll purposely, trying to determine the sincerity of his visit and his motivations towards the peace he said he wanted. The big troll was wise to this and just smiled at the very serious hunter that sat across from him.

"I see where Vespias be getting her ways now." laughed the troll. "Dat be taken care of too. If dey don' wanna listen to my emissary den dey be listenin' to da two thousand Orc soldiers dat gonna march over dey heads Mon."

Vol'Jin explained that there were at this very moment, ten Horde galleons en route to Silvermoon with two hundred of Durotar's finest warriors on each of them. They represented Thrall's desire to aid the elven people in their fight against Arthas. Thrall was the new Warchief of the Orcs, and a good friend to Jania Proudmoore. The two had been working on a way to find peace for a few years now. As it turned out, Vol'Jin was no ordinary messenger either, but a valued and trusted right hand to this Thrall.

He was also the leader of the Darkspear Tribe and owner of the Echo Islands, their ancestral homelands now in possession of a lunatic named Zal'Zane. So great was Vol'Jin's commitment that he had put the campaign to get back his own home to the side to join his people into the fight against Arthas. In the two hours the two men spoke Ves learned a great deal about not assigning labels on others simply because of how they looked. At length the pair stood and shook hands once again.

"Enjoy your stay here Vol'Jin." said Ves. "Feel free to ask for anything you need."

"Dere is one ting Mon" replied the troll, looking around nervously. "I need ya to be showin' me how you make dat coffee. Did I taste _pepper_ in dere?"

Far to the south Sylvanas was putting the sting of pepper in her attacks on the scourge as well. She had learned a new tactic from the trolls that was working better than she had hoped. Her rangers would corral the undead fiends into large groups and begin to throw smoldering satchels of herbs and spices into the group. The smoke from the packages would burn their eyes until they became so swollen and dry that the monsters couldn't see where they were going and the Rangers would then casually ride through and slaughter them by the dozens with no fear of retaliation. The troll druids, the magic wielders, called them _pepper-pots _and told of how they would capture entire cities with nothing more than several dozen of these pots. Sylvanas scoffed at the idea until the first time she used them and saw the effects first hand. There was no doubt after that.

Her plan had gone well in the first week of her new freedom to attack, and she did in fact secure the roads from the pass to Light's Hope and to Tyr's Hand. Uther did his part and captured the Eastwall Tower but the Scarlet Enclave refused to leave their stronghold. There was no amount of coaxing the ranger or the paladin could do and a major portion of Sylvanas' plan fell through just like that. To make matters worse, Arthas pushed even more undead at the chapel causing Uther to recall the few forces he had stationed at the tower and no sooner had they gone than the tower was retaken by scourge forces. Sylvanas found herself spending more time trying to recapture what she had rather than capture new targets. In the game of action and reaction she was finding herself unable to levy a proper reaction and was slowly slipping back toward her pass instead of forward and into Stratholme.

The ranger troop was also feeling worn and battered, having been raiding and attacking almost non-stop in the last two weeks. They needed to regroup and get some rest and they needed this quickly. She hated what she was about to do but she knew it needed to be done. Her hands clenched in rage as she climbed the steps to the chapel.

"I need to take my rangers back to camp Uther." she said angrily. "They need some rest and more supplies to fight these infernal undead. I don't understand where they all come from. Does Arthas have some stockpile of dead people somewhere?"

"I'm afraid not Sylvanas." said the weary paladin. "He gets them fresh from every campaign that his foul forces go into, every one of your rangers that fall or my paladins. They were all good citizens at one time, peaceful and law-abiding and then Arthas came and corrupted them even in death. They should be resting as the only just end to what happened. They should be but they don't. He won't let them."

Time passed much too quickly for Vespias and the morning came when duty would once more drag her away from her family. As she prepared her horse for the trip to Silvermoon she saw the look in her mother's eyes and called her sisters outside. She told them to bring their cloaks and once they stood before her she snapped them to attention.

"You have both served Silvermoon well, as well as both yourselves and me." she said to the confused girls. "Your time has come to an end in my service. Your duty now is to stay and keep our home safe in my absence…and to keep a smile on our mother's face. Dismissed."

Vash mouthed the words "thank you" to her as she hugged the girls tightly. She had no doubt as to her sister's abilities but she wasn't so sure about her mother's ability to push heartbreak away a second time. No sooner had she let the girls go than her grandfather called to her and motioned her to sit. Under his arm was the lion hide that he had carried from Silvermoon bank so many years ago, still holding the mystery within it.

"This has been in our family since the time of the Highborn and the Well of Eternity back in Kalimdor before the Sundering Vespias." he said solemnly. "Your family comes from a long line of officers in every army the highborn have ever yielded. Before the Sundering the dragon flights and the elves shared the earth with only trolls as our neighbors."

As he spoke he slowly unwrapped the furs revealing a gleaming bone bow within. For such a thing to be that old and look as if it were crafted yesterday confused the girl. Veron sensed her apprehension and explained further.

"When the Sundering happened the dragonflights were already at war with each other." he continued. "'The Black Dragonflight led by Deathwing turned on all the others and a great war ensued. Even though we were devastated the Highborn lent their meager aid to the Blue Dragonflight. For this we incurred Deathwing's wrath but he didn't come himself, instead he sent a concubine of his, Emperia. She fought us for three days killing many of the survivors of the Sundering until finally your ancestor Kal'Thamid found a weakness in her and shot her from the skies. He then fashioned this bow from the small claws on her wings. As a reward the great blue dragon Malygos blessed the bow and made it unbreakable so it would always look the same as it did on that day."

"Today I give it with great honor to the next military leader of the family." he added with the hint of a tear in his eye.

Chapter 25:

Black Arrows Against A White Bow

Vespias hardly said a word that first day they rode towards Silvermoon. Her heart was heavy for some unexplained reason beyond leaving her parents again. The cycle of spring was in full progress now with the sprouts of new growth everywhere, new life scampering through the woodlands that surrounded them and filling the skies above them. Wild geese screamed their honking hellos at the group as they trudged towards the city, their dark wings stark against the softest blues that nature could find to paint her skies. The boisterous Vol'Jin was uncharacteristically quiet as well, continuing to glance at the new bow that Vessy wore on her back.

"So what is the problem with my bow Vol'Jin?" asked Vespias, breaking the awkward silence with an even more awkward question. The troll lowered his head, loath to tell the young elf that yet another piece had fallen into the puzzle now.

"De legends say dat de Hali'Khal be bringin' her destruction with a white bow" he said softly, "an' arrows black as night."

Vespias acted as if the words had no effect on her but as more of this prophecy seemed to single her out she could feel even more uneasiness take hold of her heart. She pointed out a clearing and directed everyone to set up camp for the night.

She looked at the bow she held, suddenly aware that she had not even tried it yet. She scanned the clearing until her eyes set on a knot in a fallen tree trunk roughly thirty yards away. She took an arrow from her quiver and started to notch it when it seemed the bow sprang to life. In its enchanted state now with an arrow notched, two "fingers" sprang from the main shaft at the top and the bottom of the bow. Each finger had sinew attached to the main cord giving it stability like she had never felt before and the proper curvature for a bow. She removed the arrow and the bow immediately collapsed upon itself again, once more taking on the appearance of a hardened quarterstaff.

"Use dis little sister." said Vol'Jin holding one of his black arrows by the tip, the eerie blue glow enveloping his fingers. "If you like it I got no problem teaching you how to make it."

"I don't think I need to poison an already dead tree." she replied as she eyed the arrow. "I don't approve of poisons and now it seems you better go wash your fingers before you kill yourself with your own arrow."

"Dis ain' poison." Vol'Jin chuckled as he replaced her arrow with his. "Try it…you'll see."

Reluctantly Vessy notched the arrow and took her stance centering the soft blue glow on her target. She exhaled and let the arrow fly, its black shaft easy to follow as it traveled to the log. Vessy jumped at the result of her shot, a small explosion of blue sparks and smoke that shattered the entire trunk.

"Arcane voodoo." cackled the troll. "Strong enough to shatter da strongest armor in one shot! Voodoo ain' poison, it be da magic on da tip an' da fear in da enemy!"

The troll spent the next few hours showing Vessy what herbs to gather and how to mix them and what chants to use to put different magic on her tips. He taught her the arcane as well as one that would daze and confuse the person if it didn't kill them, another that would indeed spread not a poison but very poison-like symptoms through the target, and one that would explode in fire upon contact. She noticed that after each of her arrows were treated with the voodoo they turned black, as black as the magic used to turn them from hunting tools into assassin's tools.

Vessy had spoken to her grandmother as she had promised herself, about destiny and how it worked. Yava explained that what she was taught of destiny was this; the life one lived would shape the decisions they made and that in turn would shape their destiny. She also warned that sometimes a path was chosen for a person that they had no control of but that they could avoid if the destiny they forged took a different path. She assured the girl that no matter what the prophecy had said, in the end she would have the final say in what her destiny would be. Her own heart would tell her which path to follow and not some time forgotten tale of a savior. Every race had a legend of a savior and they all varied as widely as possible yet they were all, according to Yava, the final, desperate ledges that those who did not practice a good life held on to as the end neared. With such information tucked safely within her the thought of using black arrows held no dark promise of the future Vol'Jin and Bwemba had laid before her.

In two days they would be in Silvermoon and in four days she would be back on the road again with Nor, picking up the remains of her militia and winding her way back to Thalassian Pass and her duty to her family, her race, and her general.

"Only now" she thought, "they'll find a far more determined warrior with far better tools!"

Tools that Sylvanas wished she had now. Her troop had entered the pass, worn and beaten and severely in need of rest. Bwemba and her druids looked to the wounded and fixed healing salves and fed all of the returning rangers broths that almost instantly rejuvenated them. Bwemba herself chided Sylvanas when she waved away her portion of broth citing the need for a strong army to have a strong leader. The elf grudgingly drank it when it seemed it was the only way to shut the troll druid up. She knew the woman was right but she was tired and had a million plans to make for her next assault on Arthas' minions. She deluded herself into thinking she could defeat him yet despite her initial plan failing, which she blamed on the Scarlet Enclave.

"To hell with them!" she thought angrily. She would make a new plan that didn't rely on them or their Scarlet Crusade army, or even on Uther. She would figure a way to bring Arthas to his knees on her own with her own forces. She thought back to the letter she had placed in the bag along with her recommendation to install Vespias as general if she should fall. That letter called for Silvermoon to send as many troops as they could back with her Captain for an all-out assault on the forces of Arthas to take back Havenshire and New Avalon and drive the death knights back to hell.

She walked slowly to the lake, with her head still filled with dozens of different scenarios that she would employ in any future battles. The broth had rejuvenated her as Bwemba promised and now she wanted to wash a bit of the battle away. Mercifully the lake was empty, the few soldiers who cleaned leaving the area just as the general arrived. She commented they didn't have to leave on her account but she was secretly happy they did. Once she was sure she was alone she stripped off her filthy clothes and slipped into the warm waters of the lake and allowed them to carry her lithe form slowly towards the waterfall where the warmth of the falls and the sun would combine to ease the burdens she carried. Once there she turned her thoughts towards Vespias again, picturing that day on the lake that seemed as if it were a lifetime ago and she once more made her way to the seclusion of the rocks behind the falls.

In Silvermoon another Windrunner was barking orders at a group of young men and women being taught the proper stance for fighting with the broad-bladed spears the city guards carried. Veron stood in line with the guards watching Vereesa Windrunner blithely step aside of a charging recruit and then plunge her spear blade into the ground at his feet, spilling his huge body onto the ground where he turned to see her blade a few scant inches from his throat.

"The spear is about grace and fluid movements!" she said in a loud and authorative voice. "It is not your mace. It has nothing to do with brute strength. It has everything to do with form and progression of movements. It is an extension of your arm. If you learn to use it correctly your opponent will never get close enough to even cut you with his sword let alone kill you."

She pointed out five of the guard recruits and instructed them to attack her with their swords. In a flurry of movement, as graceful as dancers on a moonlit night Vereesa went through the ranks, disarming them and leaving a welt somewhere on each of them.

"See?" she asked, not even a bit winded. "An extension of yourself. Practice your thrusting form for another thirty minutes and then clean up and meet me here tomorrow."

Vereesa had been assigned to training while she was in Silvermoon awaiting her next post. She had been assigned as an escort to a human mage named Rhonin and the pair had been sent to free the great dragon aspect named Alexstrasza in Grim Batol in hopes that a lasting friendship could be cultivated between the elves and the Red Dragonflight. While the pair were on this mission they fell in love and married. Rhonin was in Dalaran with the Kirin Tor ambassador while Vereesa waited for his return in Silvermoon. She was about to be named leader of the Silver Covenant, a group that would be charged with hunting and killing all the high elves imprisoned in death by Arthas.

Veron and the rest of the recruits finished their practices and retreated to the barracks they shared with the new rangers in Farstrider Pavilion. Valla was also in Silvermoon but not in the same unit as Veron. She had chosen to enter service as a paladin, a holy warrior of the light. Veron had asked her to marry him before he left for the capitol and she tearfully said no. She was afraid to give her heart so easily to anyone who might be killed in battle. They both wept that night, still holding on to each other in a passion's embrace that lasted till the light of the next morning found them, naked and heartbroken.

A few days later they parted company, he to Silvermoon and she to Stormwind. Now they were together again even if for a short time and both promised their hearts to take advantage of that. Valla thought as she dressed for her time with Veron how ironic it was, she had turned down the marriage proposal of the man she loved because she was afraid of losing him to a war. Yet even now she knew her heart was his prisoner and the same outcome was still present. She could find he was killed tomorrow in some senseless battle and be in no less heartbreak than she would if he was her husband. She resolved to make sure he knew in no uncertain terms that she felt this way.

Still two day's ride south, Vespias woke next to Nor, stretching her long, lean body against his when the smell of that demon coffee invaded her tent. She bolted upright thinking her father had joined them and she dashed from the tent only to find Vol'Jin crouched at the fire, cup in hand and watching the pot intently. Without turning his head he bade her a "grand an' glorious" morning and lifted a second cup as he passed the first to her. The morning was neither grand or glorious and as she sipped the coffee she knew one more thing.

"You didn't put enough pepper in it" she said blandly as she poured the liquid out.

She smiled as she entered her tent and retook her spot next to Nor. She could hear the big troll outside cursing and starting another pot. "Not so grand and glorious now is it?"

Chapter 26:

Approaching Armageddon

Uther looked at the skies mournfully. He knew it was spring time, that the skies should be blue with white fluffs of clouds that slowly grazed across the horizon. He knew that it should be filled with the sounds of birds singing and bees buzzing loudly as they traveled from flower to flower collecting their pollen. He knew everything that _should_ be but he had to face facts and see what was, see the truth that lay before him. But the truth was so painful it struck his heart to even think about it. Lordaeron, his home since he had been born was gone. The blue skies and green pastures had been replaced by vile, thick smog that hung in the air like a burial shroud and the ground was corrupted now with ooze seeping from it and the grass gone and replaced by mud and ashes. It all combined the mud, the ashes, the ooze, and the smog and created an intense stench that crept into everything so that one would just spend every moment with it in his or her nose.

Slowly but surely Arthas was killing the land as well as the people. The towns of New Avalon and Havenshire were being strangled. Tyr's Hand had become a refuge for the priests of the Scarlet Enclave but they jealously guarded their gates and fired on scourge _and_ human now. Rumors went through that Sylvanas wanted to take their stronghold, ridiculous of course but those within the walls had fallen into their own type of madness and were now unreachable. His eyes scanned the hazy wasted land before him and wondered what was going on past the very limited line of sight he had now. He remembered being able to see high points that stood three or four miles away, and now on a good day the haze would afford him less than one half mile. Eastwall Tower, less than a mile away was invisible in the dry, dusty air. He toyed with the idea of riding there to make sure it was still even standing.

In the necropolis above him Arthas had entered into a trance-like state, exercising his will out across the lands, reaching the gates of Lordaeron City and beyond. He was calling wave upon wave of scourge to him, reaching isolated packs of them as far away as the newly built Greymane Wall in Silverpine Forest. The humans of Gilneas had left the Alliance and built a huge wall to shield them from the scourge that had taken their neighbor so easily. Behind the safety of the large grey stones that climbed higher than any other wall in the world they felt secure. Security is often tenuous at best as the good people of Gilneas would find out eventually but that is another story for another time. Returning to the story at hand, Arthas also had been summoned to Vandermar Village where the body of Kel'Thuzad had been found. It was being guarded by a paladin named Gavinrad who proved no match for Arthas and his sword Frostmourn. He was met there by Tichondrius a Nathrezim sent by the Lich King with instructions for Arthas to follow, first of them being to recover a mystical urn that would hold the badly decomposed remains of the wizard. An urn that was under the protection of the Knights of the Silver Hand containing the ashes of his father.

"Bastard!" muttered Uther as he tossed the crumpled note he had received from the ruins of Andorhal. "Prepare my horse and a squadron of twenty men. We ride to Andorhal and pray we get there before Arthas and his minions do."

Andorhal was mostly deserted save for a few lich that wandered the city as if looking for their former lives or some remembered facet of them. Uther slipped in with his paladins on foot and made his way to a burned shell that was once a brightly painted barn. He surveyed the area cautiously before he crossed the field towards it and instructed his men to stay there. While his troop took cover and kept lookout the old paladin made his way into the barn where he opened a well hidden trap door that led to an amazingly spacious room under the barn. He paused for a moment to say a prayer over the skeletons that lay sprawled across the floor. He could see they died guarding the bookcase behind them, yet another secret door that led to a very long tunnel. Uther took up a torch and began winding his way towards the other end of the tunnel, another room that was under a group of silos.

His hackles rose as he got close enough to see the door was opened and that a dim light shone from inside. He paused, listening for any sign of life and slowly lifted his mace from his belt.

"Don't stop Uther." issued a chilling voice from within the room. "Come see what your old pupil has been up to, how far I've come."

Uther drew himself to his full height and pushed the door open, stifling the gasp that wanted to escape his body. In the dim light of the room he could see Arthas as he now appeared. The strong, chiseled chin and proud jawline were gone. The overly healthy look of the boy had left as well and the man that stood before him now had become a horror. His hair was white and stringy, badly in need of a washing. His eyes and cheeks had sunken into his face and his skin was a withered grey color. But his body still looked strong under the black armor that he wore and the sword that hung loosely in his hand had an evil blue glow that raised from it like smoke and caressed his hand. His other hand rested on the urn that was no longer hidden.

"Who rests in here old friend?" hissed the death knight. Even though he knew he wanted to toy with Uther, see if he could get the older man to show anger and rush headlong.

"Those are the ashes of your father Arthas!" said the paladin in a calm and even voice. "What? Were you hoping to piss on them one more time before you leave his kingdom to rot?"

The conversation had indeed drawn anger out but it was from Arthas, not the paladin. The lich raised his sword and shrieked as he rushed across the room towards Uther who easily ducked under the blow and laid his mace across his former student who had forgotten the rule of never striking in anger, catching him squarely in the head. The sprawling Arthas muttered curses as he wheeled around to face the old man once more. This time he was better prepared and began to use all of the things Uther had taught him about fighting with a sword. The pair parried each other's thrusts and swings but the undead and non-tiring body of Arthas began to take a toll on the paladin. After a particularly weak swing Arthas spun him around and pushed the sharp unforgiving tip of Frostmourn into his back, the old man's blood splashing bright crimson on the blade and the floor under him. Agonized gurgling sounds escaped Uther as his hands lost hold of his mace and it clattered noisily to the floor. The man's body lost all ability to stand on its own, only being held off the floor by the blade deep in his back. A cruel smile curled on the death knight as he yanked the sword and watched the crumpled body hit the hard stone floor.

"Now you are with us Lightbringer!" hissed Arthas as Frostmourn pulled the spirit of the paladin from his dying body. "Now you will see that Arthas will be the destroyer of your world."

North of the evil that had just befell the world Sylvanas felt a shudder run up her spine and uneasiness grasped at her and forced her out into the night air. She stumbled along the path until she caught the eyes of Bwemba. The troll was in a similar state and nodded to the elf as she drew closer.

"I feel dat too Sylvanas" said Bwemba in a shaking voice. "Someting very bad happened jus' now. Someting dat gonna change da way tings go now."

The ranger just nodded and took the troll's hand. She looked at the night sky, dark and foreboding now and suddenly wished she was twelve again, safe in her home and blissfully unaware of wars and death. Safe from chills that portend some unseen doom about to fall on her. Safe from the constant threat of not only death, but a death more horrible than any other she could imagine. Or something worse.

Bwemba led the elf back to the fire in front of her tent and sat her down. Within minutes she had made a packet of herbs that she was using as a tea and pushing the elf to drink it.

"Dis gonna make you sleep good." she said to Sylvanas. "Maybe da last good sleep any of us be getting' so drink it up."

"I can't fall into a drugged sleep Bwemba" replied the ranger. "Suppose the undead attack? I need to be able to move qui…"

"You hush now!" cackled the troll. "Old Bwemba gonna stay wit you an' watch. I be here ta wake you."

Moments later the soft steady breathing of Sylvanas filled the troll's tent. Bwemba sat in front, idly stoking the fire with a long stick, watching the embers climb on the heat until they died out. The snapping of the wood branches in the blaze told her they still had too much sap in them, a sign that there were no more branches on the ground and the gatherers were now taking them from the trees. Bwemba closed her eyes and asked forgiveness from the Earth Mother saying that these were desperate times populated by frightened people. She silently hoped that if they should somehow survive what would be coming their way that nature would forgive their transgressions and allow them to till and live on the land again.

She turned at the sound of a whimper that came from the sleeping ranger. She watched her toss fitfully for a few seconds and then fall back into a deeper sleep. She wondered what demons the elf wrestled with in her heart, which made her the way she was. Like Vespias she had seen the general was capable of a softer side that she would all too quickly push away. As if she was never allowed to show those feelings when she was young. As if she was always pushed to hide them and to be strong and rigid and to follow a straight path. Then she wondered why anyone would do that to a child. Why anyone would try to close a young heart away from the world, to make it empty and hard and uncaring. Why would anyone do such a thing to a child?

"Raisin' a daughter to be cold as ice," she thought, "colder than da deat' dat be hangin' over us all."

To the north Vessy and her small party had set up for the night. They would be in Silvermoon before noon tomorrow and Vol'Jin would make his plea to the king and if everything went well, the elves would have new allies and maybe, just maybe we could all work and turn back the destruction of Arthas and his scourge. She could hear Vol'Jin speaking in his tent, softly and then she heard what sounded like Bwemba's voice answering him. She crept out of her tent and through a small opening in the troll's tent she could see what looked like the troll druid but an ethereal vision of her. She knew it was wrong but still she crept closer to hear what they said. In her heart she hoped it wasn't some plans against the elves, still suspicious to a small degree. She heard Bwemba recount what happened and what she had done for Sylvanas and she silently crept back to her tent, ashamed of herself for harboring any doubt that Vol'Jin was sincere in his quest.

She cuddled her body up against Nor and thought of what she had heard. Obviously what the two women had felt was the scourge preparing to attack again. It angered her that if this were true her place was in the Pass at her General's side, not at the other end of their lands on some diplomatic mission. Anybody could have done this. Still, Sylvanas had said that Vessy was the only one she could trust. She would have to just get Vol'Jin in to the king and get on her way back immediately. She had hoped for a bit of time with her brother but it seemed that was out of the question now. He would understand, especially now that he saw how the military worked.

Sleep evaded the young elf for another few hours while her head buzzed with activity like a beehive in the cool night air of summer. She almost wanted to ask her troll neighbor to make her a tea like Bwemba had made for Sylvanas.

Almost.

Chapter 27:

Speaking Treason

The group was up and already on the road as the first rays of dawn peeked over the mountains to kiss the travelers its most welcome blessing. Vessy knew they would be within the magic barrier in less than a half hour and slowed her pace wanting to enjoy as much of this morning as she could. True, once inside the barrier every day was a perfect spring day, much as this had the potential to be, but it was also magical and not real. It was conjured with no lows to make the highs more enjoyable. No cold to make the warmth more inviting and no darkness to make the light more welcome. She wasn't thinking of the differences between night and day because they did exist within the magic, but the darkness that a vicious storm would bring, with thunder that shook the foundations of homes and lightning that would flash with the brightness of an exploding sun and then disappear in seconds leaving the watcher to wonder what they had seen in that momentary flash.

It was that kind of darkness she actually embraced. The kind that would set your mind to work, your imagination into overtime. The darkness that spawned demons and monsters that could somehow move from the dark trees outside your windows to a more personal spot within your closet. The darkness that parents would use to control misbehaving children reminding them what lurked there for children who didn't listen. She had heard the tales when she was young and learned the truth as she got older. Instead of taking away the eerie feelings when the clouds began to darken it would enhance them. She in turn would use them on the younger children in her family and village hoping it would work on them as it had worked on her.

"What in de name of all da hells jus' happened?" asked the troll. "It be feelin' like we jus' crossed into heaven!"

Vessy laughed as she explained the barrier to Vol'Jin. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice how close they were to it so she could prepare him. He seemed impressed that the barrier would keep such a large area in perpetual springtime but not so impressed with it as a security device. It was man-made or better said, _wizard_ made meaning it could be circumvented. All it took was one traitor who knew how it worked and the vaulted security system was useless. He never endorsed anything that depended on the integrity of men be they human, elf, or troll. His security was in his bow and his arrows and his brain. It was in the nature that surrounded him, the same nature that fed him could keep him safe. It was in the careful selection of a few others who thought in the same manner and acted in the same ways. Bwemba was such a friend to him and now, with the elf gate of Silvermoon looming in the distance, he was not only happy, but proud as well to say that Vespias was another. And since she had so much faith in him then Nor would join that extremely short list.

"Welcome to Silvermoon City Vol'Jin" said Nor as they approached the gates. "The elven capitol and trade center and the seat of all our military genius."

The last line was accompanied by a smirk from Vessy who mumbled something under her breath that Nor didn't catch but set a deep bellowing laugh vaulting from the troll.

The small party passed the guards who watched Vol'Jin ride by on his raptor with their mouths open. The same look was on every face that they passed, shock, disbelief, and out and out amazement. None who lived in Silvermoon would have bet that one day they would see a troll riding so casually through their fair city as anything other than a prisoner or a conqueror. Vol'Jin added to their bewilderment by nodding and bidding the shocked populace a "grand and glorious mornin' Mon" to them as he passed giving Vessy a good chuckle as she turned away from the shocked faces. The city had been alerted to their visit by runners that had arrived from the camp and by emissaries from as far away as Winterspring. Vessy expertly navigated the twists and turns of the city and finally passed the Farstrider Pavilion on her way to Sunstrider Court.

She looked for Veron and finally saw the strapping young man he had become standing there, waving excitedly to her as she passed. Vol'Jin saw the family resemblances on the elf and complimented her on having yet another handsome family member. She nodded politely, keeping her Captain's face on yet giving in to one of her famous wild grins as she passed him. She looked at him in his recruit's uniform and thought of how handsome he _did_ look, and how strong he had become and felt a pride in him as if she were his mother instead of his sister. After all, who had taught him about being a soldier? Certainly not mother she thought. No, he was her product and therefor her pride. Had he been a washout she would have allowed him to belong to their mother.

Moments later the party was greeted at the foot of Sunstrider Spire by Halduran Brightwing, Colonel of the Silvermoon Guards and second-in-command of the city defenses. With him stood Dar'Khan Drathire, a member of the Council who would listen and help advise King Anasterian on the subject of new alliances. Vol'Jin was given a dragonhawk to bring him to the terrace and one was provided for Vespias at his insistence as well. She thought back to that day so long ago when her mother noted that they were probably not on the royal guest list and thought it ironic that even under these circumstances she was only there due to Vol'Jin's insistence. Even so, she was clearly impressed when they finally landed on the huge patio and she saw the royal quarters for the first time. They passed through royal blue curtains, mere wisps of fabric that allowed the sun to shine through but let a slightly bluish glow on everything. There was a pair of very long tables she could see off to one side of the room, probably for some royal dinner functions and a corresponding number of chairs that would be used with them. The room was devoid of any other furniture save for three chairs set in a semi-circle on a marble floor that had an inlay of the crest of the Highborn with golden edges. The chairs faced a set of thrones, the one on the right as you faced them smaller and daintier, no doubt meant for the Queen who was not in attendance that day. The larger throne was indeed occupied.

"Your Majesty" said Dar'Khan, bowing gracefully to the man who sat on that throne. "This is the warrior king Vol'Jin, leader of the Darkspear Trolls, Ruler of the Echo Islands, and Emissary of the United Horde Coalition. He comes to offer us peace."

"Welcome to my home." replied the king diplomatically. "I will hear your proposals."

Vol'Jin stood and removed a parchment from the leather bag that he carried. He cleared his throat as he unfolded it and gave it a quick glance.

"I bring dis note from Thrall, da Warchief of da Horde!" he spoke in a loud voice. "But I not gonna be readin' it. Dis elf gonna read it for me so you be unnerstandin' da words clear."

Vessy was shocked when the troll took her by her hand and lifted her from her chair. He placed the note in her hand and winked before he sat back down leaving the stunned girl to face her king alone. She nervously looked at the king and then down at the note and began to read.

"_To the King and his people the High Elves of Quel'Thalas. I send you greetings but I also send you a promise of hope. In our times the very core of all we hold dear to us, our homes and families and the future of our children is being shaken by a menace this world has never seen._

_I know we've been at odds in the past. The orcs who invaded you were under control of demon blood and not in their right minds. This is hardly compensation for that nor do we seek to validate our actions. It happened and nothing can change that. But we know what dementia goes on in a possessed mind. We know the horrors it is capable of unleashing. This is why we come to you today. In Lordaeron there is such a menace rising. _

_Arthas is such a person, corrupt and driven by demons that you or your people can never pretend to understand. He amasses an army to destroy you even as this letter is being read. He requires your Sunwell to complete his bid to conquer the Eastern Kingdoms. Once he marches he will destroy everything in his path including your city._

_The Horde is willing to help you. Even if you decide not to join us I will have ships at the ready to evacuate your city. You must realize this threat is more than you can handle. I am speaking with Jania Proudmoore, trying to get the Alliance to understand it as well. To end this threat we must all stand united! Alliance, Horde, and High Elves as well. All races against the demonic host that has the ability to end all we know if we chose apathy over action._

_I thank you for your time King Anasterian Sunstrider. My emissary Vol'Jin will return your answer to me._

When she had finished reading she looked up as the king and his advisors huddled, whispering among themselves until he sat back and looked into the now standing troll's eyes.

"We thank you and Thrall for your time." he said, slowly choosing the right words. "At this time I must decline your offer and refuse permission for your ships to enter our harbor. If the ships were to enter we would consider it an act of war and deal with them as warships."

Vespias turned and stormed towards the balcony, not believing what she had just heard. She literally threw the note to Vol'Jin as she passed him only stopping at the sound of the King's voice.

"My decision displeases you?" he asked, standing angrily. "You would dare to show this attitude to the King of Silvermoon, _your_ king?"

Never one to hold back she turned and faced the king, her green eyes glowing like the venom of a cobra and despite Vol'Jin reaching out to hold her she walked back to the place she had read from and stood defiantly before the king.

"You bet your ass your decision displeases me!" she proclaimed loudly. "And as for my attitude allow me to show you and these weak-kneed buffoons here more of it!"

"Hold your wicked tongue girl!" shouted Dar'Khan. "You speak treason here today!"

"I speak it fluently you pompous windbag!" replied the elf. "I'll speak it today and every day after this that my people are under the threat of the madman Arthas and our leaders quake in their boots and play politics instead of using their manhood and making sound decisions!"

"You'll hang for this!" he spat out venomously. "Guards! Take this…"

His sentence would never be completed as Vespias quickly had the blade of her sword at the man's throat and her other pointed at Anasterian. The guards froze in their tracks as the King held his hands up.

"Wrong you pig!" hissed the young elf. "I'll hang for slitting your throat you worm! You haven't seen what I have. You have no room to have your spineless words in the King's ear and he has no right to listen to them. And since I'll be hanging anyway, judging the distance between the guards and me, it will be for killing the king as well as you little toad."

"Everybody calm down" said the king, once more taking his throne. "The council is dismissed and Vespias will take a place next to me and tell me what she has seen to make her act so foolishly. Come girl, talk to me as military leaders and not kings and commoners."

As the guards returned to their positions and the council left helping the distraught Dar'Khan from the room the king left his throne and sat with Vol'Jin and Vespias in the hard chairs set on the stone floor and listened intently to what marched towards his lands.

Chapter 28:

Bwemba Speaks, Kings Listen

For the next three hours Vespias and Vol'Jin explained exactly how the battles they had been in with Arthas and his scourge played out. Vespias told the king how she watched the undead get hacked to pieces, burned with fire, and crushed under logs and yet the waves behind them never stopped advancing. Long after an enemy with any common sense would have fled, they still advanced. They would lose an arm and yet they still advanced, clutching and grasping with the other trying to pull their victim close enough to bite into. Vol'Jin explained that what they wanted was the worst part. To them we were a food source, not an enemy to be defeated but a meal to be run down, killed, and consumed. They explained how the death knights were ravaging Havenshire and New Avalon, how their swords had no conscience and cut down not just healthy military targets but also the old, the weak and crippled, and even newborns. Anasterian listened intently, a bit shocked that the story of these two adventurers could vary so widely than the ones told by his council.

Far down in the barracks the changing of the guard spread the story of what had transpired in the chambers above.

"Hey Firstlight!" called one of the guards to Veron. "Isn't that woman related to you?"

"She's my sister." Veron laughed. "And the magister should know how fortunate he was to leave with his head."

The barracks erupted with laughter at the young elf's observations but in the home of Dar'Khan there was very little to laugh about. The magister mumbled and cursed as he sat at his writing table scrawling on a very small paper that he rolled into a tiny tube when he had finished. He stepped out into his garden and entered a pigeon coop and selected one of the birds. He deftly tied the small tube to the creature's leg and took him outside the coop and tossed him into the air. As he watched the bird climb higher and higher, flapping its wings and flying towards the south a cruel smile etched across his lips.

"Soon Anasterian will learn the folly of all the disrespect he has ever shown me." thought the magister.

Back in the king's chambers Anasterian was about to call for his council to be gathered and brought back to him when the room filled with the shimmering light and sounds of the camp at the pass. The image of Bwemba appeared as if floating and corporeal, there but not there.

"Vol'Jin, I bring terrible news!" she stated, her voice carrying a slight echo that only added to the eerie feeling of the sight. "News from Light's Hope Chapel been sent an' it not be good. Seems dat Arthas had a run in wit' Uther and killed da mon. Poor Sylvanas be besides herself. I never did tink she was as heartless as she been makin' out ta be."

"What trickery is this?" demanded Anasterian. "How does this troll appear in my chambers?"

Vespias explained to the king all she knew about the troll Loas and the way they could be used to make themselves appear almost anywhere. How Bwemba was able to watch the progress of their journey and let them know what was happening back at the camp.

"An' I got anudder bit of news for you great king" added Bwemba. "Da death knight Arthas be callin' da undead to him from across Lordaeron for days now. He be close to getting' what he been waitin for from your city and den he gonna come visit you. Da time be here for you ta be king an' do what you need ta be doin'. You been da great warmage of legen', and now you need ta be dat again."

King Anasterian sat heavily in his chair. It had been many years since he had been the warmage, the warrior with the powerful skills of a mage, able to wade through an army of enemies using both sword and fire and ice spells. He stood finally and walked across the room to the huge fireplace there and lifted a sword from two hooks that hung above it.

"This sword is Felo'malorn, or Flamestrike in the common language" he said softly, his back still turned to his visitors. "It has been in the Sunstrider family for as long as there have been Sunstriders. One day it will belong to my son Prince Kael'thas. It appears it will have to see battle once more before that time will come."

He turned to his guests and slipped his hand around the handle of the blade and they watched in awe as the edge of the blade started to glow and then finally burst into flames. Anasterian lifted and swung the blade, leaving a trailing vapor of flame in its wake and ended his trial of the sword by directing the flame to explode from the steel and fly into the fireplace incinerating the wood left inside in seconds. He set the sword back in its place and walked over to Vespias and Vol'Jin.

"Vol'Jin, emissary to Thrall and the Horde" he began, "I have made my choice. At this time my people will not join the Horde but we will also not join the Alliance. We will remain as we are but I promise you this. The highborn of Quel'Thalas will enter every fray by your sides as your allies. We will fight back the threat of Arthas and his scourge and we will succeed. This land will be purged of his evil and when that is done we will talk of opening trade routes."

He took Vol'Jin's hand and shook it as the troll accepted his decree and smiled. He may not have gotten the high elves into the Horde but had secured a friend for them.

"As for you Vespias" he continued with a stern look on his face, "your candid and stark account of what we face and your unorthodox way of making sure I listened have reminded me that a king must have two faces. The one that runs a city and sees to the daily humdrums and the other face, the military face that recognizes danger and acts accordingly. For returning me to my duties I promote you to the rank of Colonel and when you leave the city in two days' time it will be at the head of five hundred rangers. You are to bring these troops to General Windrunner and do all within your powers together to hold back this threat for as long as you can to give us time to prepare."

"You done yourself a great service jus' now." said Vol'Jin. "Wit dis wildcat out dere Arthas in trouble now! If she be willin' ta kill a king den what chance a crazy mon got?"

In the city of Silvermoon Vespias had become a legend as fast as word spread of what she had done. At the same time Dar'Khan became a laughing stock. The great and mighty magister, the law-giver of Silvermoon bested by a mere child. Vespias had made a powerful enemy that day, not powerful in war as she was, but in cunning and guile. In fact, all of Silvermoon would soon learn that he had been their enemy for a long time now and his treachery would soon bring the capitol city and indeed, the highborn themselves to the ground.

Vespias walked the streets of the city with Kasi by her side and seemed to be greeted by everyone who passed them. Some even stopped to thank her for what she had done while others just remained content to look at this young wisp of a girl who had challenged the very core of Silvermoon and walked away victorious. In the days to follow some members of the council would chastise Anasterian for his handling of the girl to which he would dismiss them with a wave of his hand and a cautionary order to "accept she was more endowed than they were" and to "let it rest". She had shown him that this was a time for him to set his council aside and listen to his military. He sent word for his Commander of the Guard, Lor'Themar Theron to return from Dalaran where he had been dispatched along with Prince Kael'thas and made preparations for Queen Lavin and Princess Kilnar to travel to Stormwind, capitol of the humans located at the edge of Ellwyn Forest. The threat that he now saw coming was much more drastic than the one his council had painted and he only hoped he would have the time to prepare for it. He thanked Elune for the mage's barrier that protected his city.

In another place not as pretty, where clean marble floors were replaced by mud, dirt, and blood and soft throne cushions were replaced by hardwood tree stumps another prayer was being sent to Elune. This was more personal and was directed at protecting one who had already gone to her. This was mumbled by Sylvanas as she looked down on the lifeless body of Uther, the paladin who had once told her how he respected her. The only human she would come to trust and call her friend. And the only person as dedicated as she was to end the reign of Arthas for good. She brought her fingers to her lips and softly kissed them and then placed them on the cold cheek of the fallen paladin.

"Good bye old friend" she whispered softly, "we'll meet again soon if Arthas has his way."

As she turned to walk away the new commander of the Argent Dawn stepped forward to introduce himself. He was Lord Maxwell Tyrosus he said and tried to add that he wanted to speak with her but a wave of her hand with a low growl told him this might not be the opportune time. The elf ordered her guard to mount and then climbed onto her horse and led them from the chapel courtyard. She knew she had been quick and gruff with Tyrosus but something about him had just rubbed her wrong immediately. Perhaps it was his overly clean uniform with everything set in perfect lines and perfect creases. Perhaps it was his well-groomed hair and clean-shaven face or maybe it was his title that he saw a need to use. Lord Maxwell. As if a title would keep death from knocking on one's door. Everything about the man rubbed her wrong and she knew there would be no more contact between the Farstrider Rangers and the Argent Dawn. From here on out she was on her own and all thoughts of ending Arthas' reign in Lordaeron were gone. She would have to wait for him to enter Quel'Thalas and there, in the forests and hills of her youth, she would out maneuver him, out think him, outsmart him, and finally give him the death he so richly deserved.

As she rode through the pass making mental notes of the new defenses she wanted in place far to the north her second in command was preparing to sit down to a fine dinner with her brother and new sister-in-law. Her brother had married Valla quickly and unceremoniously since she was due to finish her training in Silvermoon in a few more days and then it was off to more teachings and training at the dwarven fortress city named Ironforge. Vessy was happy for them and could see how much in love they were and squeezed Nor's hand under the table. Vol'Jin sat with them, confused at the selections on the menu and giving everyone at the table a good laugh when he asked a waiter for "something dat taste good an' don't got a fancy name".

Talk was mostly about the condition of home, the people there and their parents. Then it shifted to what had happened in the spire to which Vol'Jin gave a very accurate and animated rendition much to the delight of all the other patrons in the room. The group spoke and verbally played for a good bit of time until the subject turned to the pass and conditions there. Vessy suddenly became very quiet as Nor and Vol'Jin described the chaos of their last battle and the conditions of the lands just south of it. As they spoke she thought of her own beautiful home and forests becoming like Lordaeron, filthy and dead, suspended in haze and smoke and lost for an eternity. She excused herself as the tears began to run down her cheeks and quickly made her way to the bathroom of the inn away from the prying eyes of the people who looked to the group as some fairy-story heroes who would sweep in and save them all from the perils of an undead army. Valla rushed in behind her to try and lend comfort and in her sobbing voice she told the girl what she had thought.

"They just look to the hero of the day Vespias." said Valla softly. "They look to the girl who scolded a king and gave them a new hope."

"Fuck them!" Vessy replied angrily. "They live in their little pretend world here where everything is perfect, dining on their fresh shell fish, drinking their fine wine, and living their perfect lives without a care! They've lived for so long in this fucking fishbowl they lost touch with reality! They have no idea what lurks in the darkness anymore because they never see it! What will they do when that darkness brings its ugly face to their gates and the undead run through their homes? What will they do when Sylvanas and Vol'Jin and Nor and I are all dead? What will they do then?"

Chapter 29:

March Into Madness

Vespias kept to herself for the rest of her stay there and ventured out into the streets sparingly. She hated the adoring looks and heartfelt congratulations that strangers would shower on her, thoughts of sincere wishes for a safe trip. What did they know? Of course the trip would be safe you idiots she would think each time. It's _where the trip ends_ that's the problem! She wanted to scream at them when they spoke, to grab them by the collars and shake them till their eyes rattled out of their empty heads and rolled along the streets. She could hardly wait to leave the city and be in battle again where the enemy was clearly defined and not disguised as some well-wisher who only cared about you for the time you stood in front of them. Thankfully there was just one night more to get through. All the preparations had been made at Farstrider Pavilion and the rangers were ready to go as well.

She walked quickly back to her quarters to find Nor already cooking for them and Veron, Valla, and Vol'Jin sitting and waiting for her. She was thankful they had understood and agreed to spend this night's dinner in private. She looked apprehensively at her younger brother, suddenly realizing this may be the last time she saw him. Without thinking she threw her arms around him and held him tight.

"Promise me you'll make sure to get on the orc boats Veron." she said, close to a sob. "Don't try to be a hero. If the undead come to the city you get out!"

This impromptu outpouring of emotion was unlike his sister and caused concern in the elf. He wanted to say something but he saw Vol'Jin looking at him and shaking his head no. The old troll knew what this was and what caused it. Every warrior he had ever known, including himself, became suddenly aware of their mortality while waiting for a battle to begin. Once it swept over you there was nothing that could make it go except letting it run its course. It would leave her soon and she would dry her eyes and act as if nothing had happened.

Sure enough, after several minutes of her hugging her brother and then Valla she stood abruptly, dried her eyes, and went to help Nor with dinner. She quietly set the table and carried the food in managing a smile once everybody had seated themselves.

"So I plan on stopping home long enough to tell mother about you two." Vessy said pointing her fork at Veron and Valla. "Yup. Then I'll make sure to stop at your house too Valla and make sure your parents know. Both of you can expect visits."

"You're a cruel woman Vespias." joked Valla. "I have no idea what my parents would think. I know they think Veron is the sweetest boy in the village but…"

Vessy erupted in laughter at the description of her brother being "sweet" and felt the weight of the world lift from her shoulders when the laugh started. The group spent the next three hours just making each other laugh, spreading the therapy around to all.

At the night's end Veron and Valla hugged Vessy tight before leaving. Valla would be on her way to Ironforge in less than a week and Veron…well, Veron was smart. He would take care of himself, of this Vessy was sure. Still, she held onto him a bit longer than she would have under normal circumstances. As she watched them walk away, hand in hand she smiled and turned to say good night to Vol'Jin. The old troll stood there, his eyes looking down and his words seeming too heavy to speak.

"I'll not be goin' back to da pass wit you tomorrow" he said slowly, almost painfully. "I got ta be getting back to Thrall so I be getting da ships back here in time. I'll be takin a portal to Orgrimmar but I promise I'll be on da first ship back here. It should take about tree weeks of sailin' ta get back."

Vessy wrapped her arms around the surprised troll and hugged him as she had her brother.

"I'll miss you Vol'Jin" she whispered as she held him tight. "You changed the way I look at people and for that I will always remember you."

"I be missin' you too little sister." he said feeling a lump in his throat. "Old Vol'Jin come ta tink of you as me daughter an' I'll be makin' sure Bwemba take care of you. She can always get me so if you need ta talk wit me you go to her."

As Nor held his future wife that night he felt her sobbing come and go all night long. She got very little sleep that night and the first rays of sun saw her with puffy eyes and a red swollen nose, hardly the commanding officer of five hundred rangers. She bathed quickly and tried her best to cover her lack of sleep and excess of emotions. She walked back into her bedroom and dropped the towel to the floor and examined herself in the mirror. Her hips had gotten a bit wider and her breasts a bit heavier since she last had done this but then again, she was sixteen at her last inspection. That was almost six years ago and a lifetime when one lived in a war zone. She spun her head as far as she could trying to see her rear end in the mirror and jumped when she heard Nor's voice assuring her it still looked good. He had a package in his hands that she had sent him for and she eagerly took it and ripped the paper covering from it.

Inside was her new uniform, the colors of a Colonel in the Farstrider Rangers. She pulled her undergarments on quickly and lifted the pants from the package first. They slid on and hugged every curve of her legs perfectly and then she followed with the chestpiece. Both were black, the chest being good hard leather made of strips that ran across her belly and breasts with a gold cover on the final two rows. Her pants were black cloth that had leather thigh guards that looked like flames and also clad in gold. Her boots were black and ended with a fur and bear tooth trim at just under her knees. She stood and turned to look in the mirror and was amazed at how everything seemed to hug her body perfectly. She looked at Nor's admiring glances as he helped her adjust the shoulder pads on. They too were black with two golden bands across them that signified her rank. On the back of her chestpiece were two scabbards and he carefully filled them with the two elven short swords, their black and gold handles lifted to a point just above her shoulders where she could get them easily. As she walked to the door she lifted the gloves in her hands, black and at least elbow length and studded with short spikes, and grabbed her bow and quiver and stepped out into the morning sun.

Nor was at once awestruck and suddenly very intimidated by his wife-to-be. She looked every bit the commanding officer and at the same time, very sexy to him. He carried her helm but she waved it away when he handed it to her. Instead she fished inside her quiver and pulled the curious little goblin eye piece out and showed him with a smile. Her blonde hair shone brightly in the morning sun as she hooked the piece onto her belt first and then the quiver and started walking towards the Pavilion and her unit. She walked with purpose, her head held high as she had always done, truly the very picture of elegance and some royal breeding, unless of course you knew her and knew she came from a humble farming area and that the majestic lion who walked beside her was more royalty than she. From the corner of her eye she kept stealing glances at Nor, resplendent in his new armor reflecting his new rank as Captain. She knew the others in her old troop who would be promoted as well providing they returned at all.

She entered the courtyard to the sight of her five hundred man troop all standing next to their horses while her own horse was being held by King Anasterian. Someone shouted attention and the deafening sound of one thousand boots slapping together filled the courtyard. She looked the units over with a cold steel gaze and finally snapped a hand up in a return salute.

"Have the men mount and lead them out Captain." she said to Nor in her best military fashion. "I will follow shortly."

She watched with pride as he walked to the center of the yard and looked at the units still standing rigidly, every eye on him and anticipating his command. He barked commands for them to mount and took his own saddle. Once the sounds of men and horses stopped behind him he turned and then lifted a hand and dropped it in a forward motion and started a slow canter of the troops towards the main street and Shepard's Gate. Vespias and the king watched as they rode quickly towards the way out of the safety of the alabaster walls and toward the uncertainty of what demons awaited them at Thalassian Pass.

"I have put a great weight on your shoulders Vespias." said the king as the last of the riders turned the corner at the end of the courtyard. "But I have faith that you can do the job I am sending you to do."

"Sire." she replied quickly. "These men are under General Windrunner's command as I am. All I am is the delivery person for these soldiers."

"That is not the job I speak of now." said the king calmly. "What your orders are now are new and must be followed implicitly."

He paused to make sure he had the young elf's undivided attention.

"My failure to see what was happening has led us to having very little time to prepare for attack." he said. "This is fact and nothing can change it. The mage defenses will hold the invaders at the bridge but it won't hold forever. You and Sylvanas must get us the time to fortify the city and then I am trusting you to get back here and warn us of the enemies approach within our forests. Once you see he has broken through you must ride with all haste. This is my order and this one you must follow."

Looking down from Acherus the death knight Arthas watched with no emotion as his old mentor was interred. He finally knew why he had been unable to locate some of the greatest heroes in the Lordaeron graveyards. This man below him, this Lord Maxwell had been tasked with bringing their bodies to Light's Hope and placing them in the catacombs below in the protection of the light. It was no matter he thought. His death knights were nearly finished with their training, Havenshire and New Avalon were very near deserted, the Scarlet Crusade was all but wiped out and close to twelve thousand lurching undead were making their way to his call. Within two weeks he would march on Thalassian Pass and then on to Silvermoon City. By his calculations the Sunwell would be his in just under two months. Unfortunately Sylvanas, under the cover of the druidic magic of Bwemba was about to place the first of many hurdles in his way. By _her_ calculations he would be lucky to clear the pass in less than two months and her rangers would see to it that he never reached Silvermoon.

Vespias pushed her units at a fairly good pace calculating they would reach the crossroads where she would take time for a quick visit home and then on to the pass in seven more days. To her surprise a good many of her former troops began to join the ranger as she rode across Quel'Thalas, the volume of troops raising a cloud of dust she was sure General Windrunner could see from the pass. Indeed, had Sylvanas time to turn and look she might have seen it but she was busy with her little traps and barriers. She took the time during the lull in the fighting to have her troops cut down a huge amount of trees and was having them wedged within the pass by her carpenters, hammered down to where they were almost impossible to move, and laying them in a crisscrossing pattern. Within the branches she had them string barbed wire and rig small explosives and incendiary devices and other booby traps. It was her design and she intended it to make the first three miles of Arthas' incursion the most difficult she could manage. She would have archers on the rims above the pass adding to the woes of the undead below and infantry ready to repel any of the scourge who tried to go around the pass.

No she thought to herself, Arthas will earn every step into Quel'Thalas he takes. And if he falters even once she will be there to take advantage.

Chapter 30:

Detoured

Towards the evening of the third night since they passed through Shepherd's Gate the massive column of troops reached the crossroads. Along the way well-wishers had taken to the roads in an attempt to witness the march of the rangers who were on their way to Thalassian Pass. Here at the crossroads was no difference and many of her villagers were waiting with food and supplies for the army to carry along with them.

"Nor, let the troops camp here for the night." she said softly. "I need some time with Mother and Father. You understand, don't you?"

Before he could answer she saw her parents waiting there with all the others and with them were her sisters and grandparents. She quickly dismounted and rushed to their waiting arms. Every single eye from the troop was on her as she very quickly left her rank as their commander aside and returned to her rank as daughter with her family. It was said in recounts after the fact that many of the members there actually cried but that every single member decided that they would follow this woman into the very bowels of hell if she so chose to lead them there.

After a short walk Vessy was once again in the security of her home and the love of her family. They all complimented her on her promotion and how good she looked in her armor. Grandfather Veron laughed at the story of what she did to the magister and the king while Vessy was surprised that the story somehow managed to get here before she did. He called her actions inspired while in true mother-mode Vash reminded her that she was taught better manners than that to which they all had a good laugh. Ves held his daughter's hand from the moment he saw her on the road till the time she prepared for bed. He said very little over the course of the night except to whisper "I love you" before she retired to her room. He saw the sadness in her eyes as she slowly shut the door and looked over at Nor who was busy readying the couch for the night and nodded his head in the bedroom direction. He was no fool and he knew they had been sleeping together. He also knew she needed him now more than ever and he was not about to allow some prudish, outdated moral code to prevent her from having him. When the young elf entered the room Vessy gave him a wide-eyed look until he told her who had sent him. She smiled at her father's timely wisdom.

Ves sat quietly outside in the garden for a good bit. He allowed the good earthy smell of the damp ground and the herbs to wash over him, giving him a spiritual boost. It seemed that these days he needed those boosts more and more as times became more and more insane. He hadn't the heart to tell his daughter that the undead had made their way to the village already, albeit in very small numbers, but here nonetheless. He guessed that no matter how many were posted along the hills they couldn't watch every trail at every moment. His eyes traveled up as he became more lost in his thoughts, focusing on the ghost moon as it watched silvery wisps of clouds sail past under it.

It had a slight ring of haze around it as well. The rains would be there in the morning, maybe as a blessing to keep Arthas at bay for another day. Then again, the army he was sending had no care for the elements that nature would throw at them.

In the south that very same moon looked down on Bwemba. She was having difficulty sleeping and she was at a loss for where the disturbance was coming from. She had looked in on Vol'Jin and Vespias and found no problems; Sylvanas was the same, struggling in her usual fitful sleep. She now sat and sent her loa out trying to find the reason for her unrest. She sent it south to look over the lands of Lordaeron and then north to the city of Silvermoon. She sent it west to look at the coastline and found no signs of a surprise landing. Finally she turned to the east, past the slumbering villages and across the mountains…she bolted upright, her eyes wide and her loa slamming back to her. She found the cause and set about unnerving herself to be able to send her loa out once more to Vespias.

It took the troll much longer to calm her nerves than she thought but finally she was able to lift her spirit once more and sent it to Vessy, still asleep in her bed.

"Vespias you must awaken!" she said firmly. "Dere is a great danger lurkin' nearby an' you got to be takin' care of it! You need ta wake up now!"

The young elf in true military fashion cleared her mind almost immediately and listened to the corporeal vision of Bwemba.

"In da mountains da Amani be ready ta strike at da Orcs dere!" she said quickly. "Dey gonna ambush dem an' kill dem all! You got ta stop dis. If da Amani be free from da Orcs den dey gonna' be at our backs when Arthas come tru and we gonna be in loads of trouble den. You gotta detour an' fix dis. We can wait for you, Arthas not ready yet."

"Nor, ready the troops please." Vessy said to her partner. "We'll handle the Amani alright Bwemba. They've had this coming from me for twenty two years now!"

Bwemba cackled a laugh at the reference and instructed Vessy to find Colonel Nazgrim after and send him to Silvermoon City before pulling her loa back to her. With some odd anticipation Vessy got dressed very quickly, more than happy to be riding out after the trolls who almost ended her life before it even began that night so long ago.

She stepped out into the cool night air to find her father astride his horse and holding the reigns to hers in his rough hands.

"Curse your damned big ears." she said with a grin. "And just where do you suppose that you're going? This is a military venture, no room for amateurs."

Ves allowed a good hearty laugh escape as more and more of the village militia joined them, their faces showing the same amusement in the flickering torchlight.

"You know better than anyone how many trails lead up into the mountains." he reminded her. "And since, as far as I can see, being a colonel now still doesn't give you the ability to be in more than one place at a time you need guides. The more troops you get there at the same time, the better chance you'll have of catching them by surprise."

Vessy allowed that famous wild grin to flash before she took the map from her father's hand and laid out the routes she wanted them to take. She would split her troop into groups of fifty and send them into the mountains on ten different trails. Once they were all in place she would sound the charge and they would converge on the trolls. But first she needed to know where they were. She saw the smile on her father's face and knew there were already scouts from his militia in the mountains and probably returning with the information. She was suddenly aware of how much of what she knew had come directly from his mind and it made her love him all the more.

Far south in the necropolis hidden in the dark clouds over Lordaeron a pigeon landed on a balcony and a pair of withered hands with a ghastly grey pallor lifted the bird and removed the note tied to its leg. Almost as an afterthought the hand holding it snapped its fragile body and tossed the carcass over the rail as he walked away and unfolded the note.

"_Blessed Lord Arthas,_

_I am ready for your arrival and all the necessary pieces are in place. When you arrive the mage barrier will not be an obstacle to you or your troops. I will take care of any who try to reinstate it from the inside. I will assist you in your bid to reach the Sunwell in any way I can and humbly remind my Lord of the return promised to me. Once I am ruler of Quel'Thalas you will have free use of the lands and a pledge of no interference in your matters. I remain…_

_Your humble servant,_

_Dar'Khan Drathire_

A cruel smile crossed the twisted lips of Arthas as he crumbled the note in his hand. Now that he had procured a traitor to lower the defenses Silvermoon would fall before him like paper cards stacked in the wind. He would take the city, kill the king, and then give this fool a reward fitting a traitor. He lifted his eyes and watched the first rays of the sun lift over the mountains only to be lost in the haze of putrid death below him and smiled.

Vespias also smiled at the sun's first light for similar yet different reasons. It would be easier to lead the troops along the winding mountain trails and it would be easier to target and kill the trolls. The scouts had returned with detailed information as to where the orcs had dug themselves in, where the trolls gathered, and their numbers.

"There are close to five hundred Orcs here, here, and here." said the scout showing Vessy their locations with a stubby dirty finger on the map. "The trolls gather in the village under Zul'Aman and outnumber the Orcs at least three to one. The Orcs are dug in well and should take a great many out before they are overrun."

"It is our job to see they are not overrun!" exclaimed Vespias in her most commanding voice. "We will assemble at the ends of these ten trails. Once in place I will signal the charge and six units will converge in the back of the troll ranks at this location and drive a wedge into them splitting them in two. Five units will converge on the group to the left and the remaining unit will attack the group to the right under the assistance of the remaining four units located along this line."

The young elf had drawn their plans on the map with the tip of one of the black arrows she carried, leaving specks of the glowing blue arcane magic on it as markers. Ves looked at his daughter, so matured and fully within her element as a commander of forces and felt an immense swell of pride in her. Her plans for attack were flawless and her deliveries of the orders were summarily carried back to each unit by the captains and lieutenants she had with her. She carried herself with the airs of a much older and far more experienced spirit who had seen a lifetime of countless battles and Ves suddenly realized that in all his own stories of the war he had told the children, she had indeed had that lifetime and was now recreating the visions he had given her.

"Are we ready then?" she asked looking at all the faces that remained around her. "Alright then. Militia, take your places at the lead of each unit and move out. We'll meet at the top and give the trolls the battle they should have received twenty years ago!"

"And you old man," she said turning a loving glance and softer tones to her father, "you go easy and watch yourself. I have no desires to bail your ass out of a mess."

Another flash of that wildly wicked grin and she spurred her horse towards the path her unit would take towards this battle she waited a lifetime for.

Chapter 31:

Rain And Blood

The promise of the previous night's moon of rain unfolded as the small army climbed into the mountains as plump, full rainclouds gathered above them. Not the dark, nasty clouds that winter sends or the ones that crop up at the end of the summer from all the heat, but the soft white clouds of spring that just look like swollen cotton balls. By the time they began to crest the summits the rain had started and remained steady as they moved to their starting spots. As Vespias held her unit hidden in a small forest glen she was contacted once more by Bwemba who told her the Orcs awaited her on the field and would counter-attack once the trolls had been distracted.

The Amani Warchief, Zul'Jin amassed his great force of fifteen hundred or more trolls in the village of Zul'Aman just northeast of the Orc encampment. They were so obsessed with the Orcs in front of them that they never thought to look behind them where the Farstrider Rangers gathered in the shadows and waited. Perfectly trained horses never once whinnied to give away a position; no soldier coughed or sniffled under the cool rains and no sound of footsteps or hoof beats traveled on the winds. The elves were masters at moving in silence and could often move to within one hundred yards of a target with a full army and remain undetected. It was this ability that would be the undoing of the trolls now and it would be the undoing of the scourge in the future.

In the troll village Zul'Jin was sending his army towards the Orcs, marching slowly in a huge mob as Vespias hoped they would. They banged their spears on their shields as they moved and yelled catcalls and obscenities at the Orcs who remained silent and stood steadfast, shields and pikes held in sturdy hands. There was no fear in the Orc camp. They were seasoned warriors who valued honor and believed it was shown in their fighting skills and determination. The only sound from their camp was their leader, Colonel Nazgrim who quietly extolled the virtues of being an Orc warrior to his men as they waited for the troll advance to get closer. Vessy could see them from her vantage point, the first time in her life she had ever seen an Orc. They were about the same height as elves and humans but massively built. She could see their muscles under their green hued skin tensing like coiled steel springs and their steely eyes peering from the shadow of their helmets. They stood shoulder to shoulder forming an armored green wall. Nazgrim had gotten louder as he spoke and somewhere a drummer started pounding a beat on some massive drum and the Orcs still remained solid as the trolls began to sprint towards them, their whoops and hollers becoming louder and more frenzied. Above them she could hear Nazgrim's preaching rhythm following the beat of the drum until it ended with him screaming the words Lok'Tar Ogar! It meant "Victory or Death" and was now being repeated by every Orc in the line as a chant, each passing moment getting louder and louder. Vespias watched as the trolls got to within one hundred yards of the Orcs and she wondered when they would charge when Nazgrim screamed an order in Orcish and the line dropped to one knee, their long pikes pointed forward revealing archers fully extended and firing into the charging line.

The surprised trolls had no chance and many of them fell with arrows lodged in vital areas. As they fell others tripped over them creating a huge mass of bodies sprawling in front of the Orcs. Once fired the line of archers dropped as the spearmen did revealing a second row of archers. The two lines of archers kept the volley of arrows going non-stop. Vessy was impressed with not only the tactic but the discipline the Orcs showed. However, with fifteen hundred crazed attackers bearing down archers can only keep the mob at bay for so long and within minutes the first of the troll attackers reached the Orc pikemen. Several heads were spun away from bodies for the reward of being first and Vessy decided it was time. She nodded to an archer next to her who shot a flaming arrow high into the air. In all their concealed places the elven cavalry saw the signal and attacked.

The elves themselves were quiet yet the sound of blaring war horns and the thunder of the horse's hooves echoed across the hills in a symphony of impending doom for the trolls. Zul'Jin jerked his head around at the sound, cursing himself for not making sure their rear flank was protected. The trolls all spun in unison as the wedge of riders rode into their ranks dividing the mob in two as designed. The clashing of swords and spears joined the din as blood splattered across the landscape so freely that it looked as if the earth itself bled. Vespias yelled out for her units to charge and she led the way, her black arrows dropping troll after troll in her advance while the Orcs now rose behind the trolls, their axes and swords slashing and hacking their way towards the rapidly disappearing middle of the mob. The target of both Vespias and Nazgrim, the troll leader Zul'Jin proved elusive and neither was able to catch up to the fleeing commander.

Less than an hour later the two armies stood facing each other with the crushed troll forces scattered around them. Zul'Jin had escaped as had roughly three hundred other trolls who ran off into the hills and disappeared into the myriad escape holes Nazgrim was sure dotted the mountains.

"Your people fought with honor today elf." said Nazgrim as he walked to meet Vespias. "Together we sent a great many trolls to whatever gods they worship in disgrace and humility. This has been a good day, an honorable day and a battle well fought."

Vespias returned the huge Orc's look with her eyes fixed squarely in his and nodded her head with a slight smile that played about her lips. Behind him she could see his men walking through the fallen bodies and finishing any trolls who had the poor taste to only get wounded in the battle. He studied her face for any sign of disgust at this practice and when he saw none he burst into his own smile. The lower canine teeth of orcs were greatly pronounced and she saw them much more clearly in his smile. She directed her rangers to start making piles of the corpses and assisting the Orcs in making sure no troll who had not already fled left the killing field on that day much to Nazgrim's delight.

"You are Colonel Nazgrim?" she asked at length. "I bring orders from your Warchief for you. Your men are to return to the boats and proceed up the coast to the harbor of Silvermoon City. Once there healers will assist and tend to your wounded, supplies will be loaded and you will remain as evacuation vessels. The King has not asked for your formidable prowess should the city come under siege but only a fool would refuse it. Thrall has not ordered you to help but I ask you now as one commander to another for your help."

"Ha!" the Orc laughed. "We will fight anybody who ventures to the city on your word alone. Not as one commander to another but as one _warrior_ to another. Go fight your battles Vespias, commander of the Farstrider Rangers and make sure you live so that you and I can sit on a stool in a tavern in Orgrimmar and drink to our victory here!"

Vesperis stood close by listening to the exchange between his daughter and the Orcish commander and felt yet another wave of pride wash over him. Standing with him was a ranger medic busily trying to repair the hole left by an Amani spear that was now letting copious amounts of blood to flow down his arm. Vespias' smile of victory fled from her face as she saw this and rushed to his side. After a hushed conversation with the medic she turned to him sternly.

"Didn't I tell you to go easy old man?" she admonished him. "Now you've gone and had a hole ripped into you and _I'm_ the one who has to explain to Mother! Honestly…."

The lopsided grin on his face that she loved to see brought her own smile out and she gingerly hugged the older elf and kissed him gently on his cheek.

"This man is your father?" asked Nazgrim who had followed the girl to the medic area.

"Yes he is!" she replied quickly. "Colonel Nazgrim, my father. Vesperis Firstlight, commander of the militia."

"I congratulate you elf!" he said clapping the man on his good shoulder. "You have achieved what every male Orc wants. A fine warrior in your child. You should be proud!"

"I am" winced the elf as the medic began to sew the gaping cut closed. "Honorable victories and rich spoils go with you Nazgrim till we meet again."

The two colonels spoke a bit more before Nazgrim turned and walked back towards his camp calling advisors along the way. Vespias turned and walked back to her father with a curious smile on her face at his farewell to the Orc.

"You sly old dog you." she said as she circled him. "Where did you learn your orcish protocol? How did you know the proper farewell saying?"

"I picked it up from hearing other Orcs saying it during the war." he replied. "I didn't even know if I was saying it right."

"You did and it impressed him. And you impressed your daughter yet again!" she added, leaving the medic to finish his work while she went to check on the conditions of her troops.

She found Nor and together they took an accurate casualty count. She had forty-three dead and roughly on hundred and ninety-five wounded. In the militia ranks there were just seven wounded including her father. She guessed it was that old soldier sense that kept them to no casualties and she wished there was a way that could be taught. She stoically collected the names of the dead so their families would know what happened and how it happened.

Standing at the mouth of Thalassian Pass a very smug Sylvanas looked at the trees that formed the most impassable, treacherous barrier she had ever seen in her life. This was almost impossible to pass through and would force the scourge to cross the mountains instead, sending them miles out of their way and affording her ample time to dispatch squads for her famous slash and run campaign that she would use, She knew there was no way to stop the advance of the scourge. Even when she finally found Arthas and killed him the hulking undead would still advance. She would see to it that in the time it took them to cross Quel'Thalas their numbers would be insignificant by the time they reached the bridge into the barrier.

Bwemba approached her and gave her the details of Vespias' victory over the Amani as well as casualty reports. She was pleased to hear no militia died in the struggle not sure if any of her family had found the courage to defend their home. She was proud of Vespias and would remember to tell her when she returned to the pass and together they would plan for the attack that Arthas would eventually get to. Her dragonhawk riders would return each day with their reports; how many undead gathered near the Eastwall Tower, how many civilians and soldiers remained in New Avalon and Havenshire, and any other activity they observed. One report vexed her beyond all the others and that was a sighting of Nerubians within the ranks of the undead. Nerubians were a spider-like race that lived in Northrend and built vast underground empires. Sylvanas feared that perhaps Arthas planned on tunneling his way into the forests behind her. She hoped that the meager number her scouts had seen were not enough for Arthas to even begin to think of this as his attack plan.

Behind her in the north Vespias had once again started her march towards her, with just under five hundred Rangers riding from the killing field through the mud created by the rain and blood they left behind them.

Chapter 32:

Nightmares

Arthas walked the parapet of Acherus waiting for word from below that his death knights were ready. Below the necropolis New Avalon and Havenshire were deserted of anything alive. His lich patrolled the empty roads and searched through the houses. When the wind blew through the bleak towns one could say they cried. Such was the void created by the lack of people and activity. Dust swirled on porches while chairs on them sat empty until some malevolent lich spirit came by and tossed them into the street in its anger at being denied more killing, more death. Crawling black masses made their way from shadows and entered homes finding dark, dank corners to live in, perched in suspension waiting for some living thing to come in, even a mouse…anything that had even the smallest spark of life so that it could feed. Arthas smiled in the utter destruction of lives that lived below him and reveled in the desolation that now reigned supreme.

"My Lord" said the messenger, his features slightly rotted and unkempt. "Instructor Razuvious sends word that all is ready. There are twelve thousand risen scourge at Eastwall Tower and one thousand death knights within the halls here waiting for your commands."

The lich waved the broken man away and allowed a cruel smile to turn the corners of his lips. Since he was a child his smile was always considered "lop-sided", with the right side always higher than the left side. Now, in his risen dead state it was even more pronounced and also took on a much more sinister visage. He had left the room at the top of the hold and made his way to the large balcony that housed the orb known as the Eye of Acherus, his spying device. He could somehow send a corporeal version of the orb off into the world and he would "see" what the orb saw. He sat in a large throne-like chair and waited and watched as the orb sailed towards Thalassian Pass, his next target.

Sylvanas had taken a small group of her troops up into the mountains to try to find a way to booby trap the hillsides when one of them pointed into the sky at the small red orb that floated lazily towards the mouth of the pass. Sylvanas quickly drew her bow and pierced the orb with three arrows before it started to fall reaching a point below her where it just disappeared leaving the arrows to clatter down onto the logs. In Acherus the death knight Arthas cursed the elf as she took his eye down before he could get a good look at her defenses. He saw a small bit of it but not enough to know if he should take on the pass or go the much longer route through the mountains. He pondered a good while and then called for his alchemists.

"I want explosives." he stated when they arrived. "They should be small yet able to splinter a medium sized tree. I want five hundred of them ready to go by the setting sun tomorrow. Now go, you have a lot of work to do."

He had decided that the pass was his route. He had no idea exactly what the elven witch had done there but the explosives he would bring should get him through.

Vespias and her troops had been riding through two days of rain and found themselves soaked to the bone and within a half day's ride to Windrunner Village. The young elf opted to ride into the village instead of camping another night in the rain thinking she could find enough places in barns and the local pub where her people could find a dry night's sleep. She told Nor and he turned the column down the road that would take them to the village while she remained at the fork to insure everyone made the right turn.

"Thank you for this Vespias" said lieutenant Helios as he passed. "We needed this."

She nodded with a weary smile. She knew they needed it, a good night's sleep away from the elements. Perhaps she would ride up to Windrunner Spire to see if Sylvanas' family could provide some dry space where they could find some rest and dry out their clothes. She had seen her local troops cavorting in swimming holes back home in the nude or semi-nude before their world had gone to hell so she knew at least they would have no problems in drying their clothing out. She would ask Mrs. Windrunner for as many modesty covers as she could spare.

As the last group of her troops passed she spurred her horse into a canter to reach the front of the line. As she rode up she began to notice the fields had not been plowed let alone planted and the road itself was in need of repairs, very uncharacteristic for anything with the Windrunner name. The village had come into view and she could see no movement and a sudden feeling of dread fell over her. She spurred her horse once more and passed the last few troops at a full gallop yelling for Nor to hold them up and not enter the village. She stopped herself just as the road opened into the welcoming courtyard and dismounted. She moved slowly now, every sense on high alert and always an eye on Kasi. He would find something long before she would. She could see his hackles rising and she knew he was not happy to be here anymore than she was.

"Yeah big boy." she said softly. "Something is not right here. You keep your eyes and ears open."

She looked into the few shops along the main road finding no workers and almost no goods. As odd as it seemed that actually soothed her a bit. She knew the undead forces of Arthas had no desire to plunder so this told her that if any foul play was here it was perpetrated by human fiends. She suddenly heard a loud bang from the direction of the stables and wheeled in time to see a figure duck inside. Kasi roared and sprinted towards it before she could stop him and several screams resounded from the building by the time she got there. Inside she found the cat swatting at a man who had climbed up onto one of the beams that supported the roof.

"Who are you?" she demanded from the frightened man. "And where are the people of the village?"

"Please…my..my name is Halor Vedoran." Replied the man holding onto the beam for dear life. "Please call off your cat. I've done nothing wrong. Please spare me!"

Vessy suddenly felt a great deal of pity for the man and sent Kasi out to get Nor. Once the great cat had gone she helped the man climb back down and sat him in a chair. In the light she could see him now and recognize him from past Bonfire events.

When Nor arrived she hurriedly whispered in his ear and he exited the building quickly, heading back towards the troops.

"Easy now Halor." she said softly. "It's me…Vespias Firstlight. From Suncrown Village. Here, drink some of this."

The shaking man took the canteen from her and looked into her eyes, studying her face. It appeared as if he finally recognized her and took a long drink from the canteen. Before he could speak Nor returned with one of the younger militia who rushed to the old man's side when he saw him.

"Father!" he cried out taking hold of the man. "What are you doing here? Are you alright?"

With the help of Ranger Vedoran Vespias was able to finally get the story of what happened to Windrunner Village. It seemed that Sylvanas' parents had decided that the area had become too volatile to remain in and charted a boat to take them down the coast to the relative safety of Stormwind City. Once they had gone the shocked people of the village, now with no protection as they saw it, fled as well. They loaded their wagons and took whatever they could and migrated to Silvermoon City. The last he heard the city was housing all the refugees in the western side of the city away from the Royal Quarters and Exchange.

"Well" Vessy said when the man had finished, "we certainly have enough room. Bring everybody in. Take a detail and go through the spire and bring back anything people can cover themselves with…sheets, blankets, drapes. Bring it all back. Ranger Vedoran, go out and inform the cooks to set up in here and see to it your father gets a good meal and a good night's rest."

She exited the building and walked into a small shop that she guessed was a tailors shop before it became just another shell in this ghost town. As she ran a finger along the counter, pausing at a few bolts of fabric left in the owner's haste to get out and wondered how she was going to tell Sylvanas about what she had seen here. There was no way she could just let it go and not say anything. Not with five hundred other people seeing the same thing she was. No, she would have to tell her right away but she had to figure how to tell her. Hopefully she would console herself by telling her colonel that she knew her parents would do that, that it was the smart thing to do and she was happy they were safe. But Vessy knew how she would feel if her parents took the cowardly way out. The problem was not in the Windrunner Family _leaving_, it was in them abandoning the people of the village. That was the part Vessy could not get behind, the part she felt was cowardly, and she knew it would be the part Sylvanas would feel the most shame in as well.

Had Arthas known what happened in the village perhaps he would have considered procuring Arathi pirates to bring his army around the coast and land them in the village. But he had no way of knowing that the guns that guarded the small cove and dock there would be silent in their solitude. He could have skipped the pass entirely and possibly been in Silvermoon before Sylvanas even knew he went past her. Thankfully, he had not known and he now prepared himself and his commanders for an assault on the pass. After he broke through he knew his road to Silvermoon would likely be peppered by slashing attacks from Sylvanas and he began to formulate his plan to capture her.

Sylvanas herself began to show some concern for Vespias and her rangers. The elven General wondered where they could be, how far out and what was delaying them. She considered going to Bwemba so the druid could ask the young ranger but then she thought better of it. Vespias had shown herself to be a good commander so far, ruthless in battle and courteous to her troops. If she was a bit delayed then it must be for a good reason. She lay back in her cot trying to clear her mind so she could concentrate on her final plans for defense of the pass.

She had blocked it as well as anybody could and rigged enough explosives along the route to blow up half of Silvermoon. She wished she had an engineer who could have shown her where to plant them so they would have collapsed the high walls themselves in on the lurching death that would pass through them. To her, closing Quel'Thalas off from the rest of the world just to kill Arthas would have been completely acceptable. In fact, if she could find a way she would return here with an engineer when it was finished and blow them anyway. She slipped into another troubled sleep shortly after thinking that and dreamt of the same thing she had dreamt of for the past three weeks. She saw herself as a young girl again, safe and secure in her bed. She's happy and content, her sexuality has not yet manifested so she's not been chastised by her family yet and suddenly she hears a commotion from her parents room. She slips out of her bed and tiptoes to the now quiet room and peeks in. There is blood everywhere, the walls and the rugs on the side of the bed. The sheets and blankets are soaked in blood as well. She walks slowly to the bed and peeks at the covered mound in the center. As she reaches a small shaking hand out to pull the covers away they suddenly fly off and an undead creature with her mother's face lunges at her.

The ranger wakes at that point, bathed in sweat and her whole body shaking. It takes time but she realizes it was just a dream and she drinks some cool water before lying back in the bed and staring at the ceiling, afraid to go to sleep and wondering why her mother would betray her like that. Always falling back asleep wondering why.

Chapter 33:

Explosions And Traps

The rangers got the dry night they so desperately needed allowing their clothes to dry, eating a warm dinner, and getting a decent sleep. The dawn arrived to find them in much better spirits and with less than a day's ride ahead of them, a desire to get to their post and set about making a normal routine. Vessy had heard them after dinner talking about doing that. She didn't have the heart or desire to tell them what really would happen once they got there. She knew they were trained properly, and that they could fight; they proved both points just days ago. What they lacked was experience, in both battle and down time for a soldier. She remembered before she arrived when she actually thought there would be buildings to sleep in and wash in. She imagined cooking tents and long tables in a building with a nice cozy fire. How wrong she had been. But as she learned the hard way, so would the green troops she was leading to the pass. She wondered if Sylvanas had found out what they called her yet or if some stupid yet enterprising young soldier had erected a sign that read "Welcome to Camp Misery" on the road yet. She looked at the group and smirked…just wait till Our Lady of Misery takes hold of your lives in her gentle, sweet nature.

Sylvanas stepped from her tent into the cool morning air to the sight of her troops urging a rather young, smallish member to retrieve his melon that had mysteriously rolled under the first set of trees laid in the pass.

"Ranger Duras!" yelled Sylvanas at the young man who was trying to navigate through the tree-traps. "Were you born that stupid or have you worked at it to get to this point?"

She swore that at times she felt more like a child care nurse than Commander of the Quel'Thalas military. She couldn't wait for Vespias to return so she could take these addled people and set them straight. Above her the dragonhawk riders flew high up into the few clouds to try and make their flight into the smoke and haze of Lordaeron as undetectable as possible. She calculated they would be back in one to two hours and that would give her plenty of time to burn off the excess energy her troops seemed to have. She quickly downed a cup of coffee back inside her quarters and prepared to go begin a day of exercise for her units when the shrill whistle of returning dragonhawks caught her attention. She grabbed her bow as she ran from the building to find all of her riders returning after only thirty minutes in the air.

"General!" said the first rider breathlessly. "The enemy is massing along the roadway just below the pass. They stretch from a mile south of Tyr's Hand all the way back to the Eastwall Tower!"

Sylvanas mentally calculated how big a mob it was and instinctively knew it was no test of her defenses but an attack, serious and aimed at allowing the scourge army into the forests of Quel'Thalas. Arthas was coming for the Sunwell! Sylvanas sent the dragonhawk rider back to the air to light the first pylon hoping Vespias would see the plume and push her militia to get there faster.

At the mouth of the pass Arthas stood looking at the tangle in front of him and once more cursed Sylvanas. The rambling scourge forces were still a half days march at their spastic, lurching pace and his death knight squad was still being teleported down from Acherus. The apothecaries had rolled three carts laden with bombs roughly the size of pineapples, the smallest size they could pack enough explosive in to break a tree. Arthas looked at the bombs with their long wicks and then back at the trees. Not only would they need to be lit, but they would need to be set on the tree he thought and tried to calculate how long it would take him to get through. He casually sat one of the devices on the first tree and lit the fuse. Roughly one minute later the blast of the bomb and the splintering of the tree echoed through the pass jerking Sylvanas around to see what happened. At the other end Arthas allowed a cruel smile to play across his lips as he inspected the damage caused by one of his bombs.

The tree had indeed splintered but even better, the explosion caused it to jerk outwards kicking the tree next to it away from its mooring. It wouldn't take as long as he imagined it would. All he needed to do now was wait for the rest of his forces and he would clear a path through this valley in no time. Then the reckoning that all of Quel'Thalas deserved would be delivered. He would see to it personally that a great many people suffered before they died. For the troubles that Sylvanas was putting him through he was no longer interested in just capturing the Sunwell. For what she did he would cause something far worse. It would start today and all through his march to the well and beyond. Once that had been captured he would carry this into every nation on the face of the planet. When he was done there would not be a single high elf left in all of Azeroth. His goal now was genocide! Above him he could see the plume of orange smoke rising and he sneered at the sight.

"Yes little elves." he thought. "Hurry and gather at the pass. It will be so much easier for me to crush you that way."

Behind him the sounds of marching infantry told him that his death knights approached. He smiled first and within seconds it became an uncontrollable, maniacal laugh.

Nor spotted the smoke first as he was a good half-mile ahead of the long column of rangers. He was scouting the field while they remained shrouded in the thicker forest when he noticed it and he quickly spurred his horse back towards them.

"The signal has been lit Vessy" he said quietly as he approached her. "It has begun. Arthas marches."

She lowered her eyes for a moment and then signaled for the rangers to move out. She kept her pace at a walk prompting concern from several of her militia who knew what the smoke meant.

"We surely have to ride hard to get there in time!" said Lieutenant Helios as he drew his horse closer to hers. "Why are we going so slow?"

"The pass is still three hours away." she said, holding back any sign of the anger that welled at having to answer this question. "The horses would never make it there. They would falter and then we would field a cavalry on foot. We'll keep this pace and get there ready to fight. Elune will have to look out for them until we arrive. Back in line now please Lieutenant."

Minutes passed to an hour and Sylvanas waited for the start of the attack. The mountains above her had been booby trapped with explosives and smoke bombs so she felt confident that they had not circumvented the mouth of the pass. Her archers on the ridge signaled that there was no movement below yet and indeed none of the trip wires within the pass had detonated yet either. She paced, wondering what game he was playing now. Her eyes turned and took in the sight behind her. She had roughly four hundred rangers with a handful of militia, mostly scouts. Behind them stood Bwemba and her trolls, about three hundred. Her riders had reported the scourge numbers "in the thousands" and moving steadily towards the pass. She wondered if this would be the end for her, her final stand. The thought of her own death, coming at the hands of a frenzied mob of undead weighed heavily on her and she quickly scribbled a note and then hid it in her quiver. She knew that no matter how badly the mindless creatures would ravage her body they would have no interest in her equipment and hopefully someday, someone would find it and deliver her last words.

Arthas selected four commanders from his death knight units and broke them into squads with each holding twenty knights. They would have a special mission in this attack and he spoke to them in no uncertain terms of their fate should they fail. They were to enter with the spearhead, each team focused only on capturing the Ranger General alive. He assured them she could be as battered as necessary but alive. He made sure to describe her well so there would be no mistake and then where to bring her and await further orders from him. He looked over the four squads and then past them to the rest of the death knights.

"You have all been reborn!" he said at length. "You have been molded and tested time and again! You have been taught to use the new powers I have given you, the powers of blood, frost, and pestilence so that you can extract the revenge you seek! Today will be the first day of many! The first day you march into the maw of battle! The first day we begin the extermination of the high elves!"

Behind him the first wave of the thousands of scourge began to amass. Their moaning and slavering noises becoming louder and louder as more found their way in. Arthas called to his apothecaries and started them on their mission of clearing the pass. They placed their bombs on the first few trees and ignited the fuses and ran back quickly. Several explosions rocked the tangle and just like that they had cleared the first fifty yards into the pass. Arthas smiled as he had scourge clear the splintered wood to the sides and the second set of bombs were set with the same results.

At the other end of the pass Sylvanas prowled the line of troops like a tigress waiting for her cage to be opened so she could rip her keepers to shreds. Uncertainty had turned to anger and she boiled and bristled at the thought of the filthy scourge daring to enter her forests.

"Elves of Quel'Thalas!" she yelled, her steely eyes sweeping across the lines of fighters. "My brothers and sisters! Trolls of the Echo Islands! Today we face death! It comes for us, through that tangle of wood and brush it makes its way to us. But it will not claim us!"

She spoke loudly and in calm, even tones. She paced along the lines as she spoke taking the time to look into as many eyes as she could. They would see no fear in her cold green eyes, only anger. They would see commitment to the people they left behind. To protect them with their very lives as needed.

She pointed back towards the pass, without letting her gaze stray from her troops. Her long elegant arms and fingers would not shake or tremble.

"Through that pass comes the most wretched army you will ever see!" she continued. "They are mindless, with only a singular thought between them all. To kill you! You kill them first! Do not hesitate, do not wonder if it is right, do not wonder if Elune approves. If you do any of this you will be dead and in Elune's arms. _**She does not**_ _**want you today**_! She wants you to _**win**_! She wants you to turn back this madman and keep her people and lands _**safe**_! She wants this but more importantly _**I**_ want this! We cannot fail here today! That option is not open to us! We will slow this advance down to a crawl before we mount and ride out."

Her final words were the first acknowledgement by the ranger that she knew they could not hold the pass. It was also a huge relief to the men and women who stood there knowing that she was not about to let them die in this place in a battle they could not hope to win.

"Keep the horses at the ready! She said loudly, "At my signal we will mount and ride. We will ride hard and fast to the north and regroup at An'Owyn Road. Then we will become Rangers once more! We will fight as we were born to fight! Like ghosts we will appear, we will kill and ravage, and then once more disappear! We will leave Arthas in confusion time and again until his great army of undead marches no more and then we will bring him in chains to our King!"

Amid the rallying cheers of her troops she turned to face the oncoming scourge menace that pushed and clawed their way through the tangle of trees towards them. She could hear the screams of the apothecaries as they discovered her traps and barbed wire and fell victim to the explosions of the elven bombs. The thick orange smoke filled their lungs as they pushed deeper into the tangle close enough now for the archers above to start their assault.

"I will bring you in chains to Anasterian." thought Sylvanas. "Or I will drown you in our harbor myself Arthas."

Chapter 34:

The Dead Of The Night

Arthas stood at the mouth of the pass cursing. His apothecaries had stumbled into some of the booby traps Sylvanas had set and within minutes half of them were dead, either blown to bits by her bombs or ripped to shreds on the barbed wire hidden in the tangle. The remaining bombers shook like leaves and placed each foot down as gently as they could so as not to set off any more explosions. Like all spoiled children Arthas grew impatient and demanded they move faster. He understood their fear. After all, they were still alive and as he had come to learn, the living are worthless. He vowed to remedy this situation as soon as possible but for now he had to appease the living. Grudgingly he sent several of his scourge troops into the tangle ordering them to get to the other side. A few minutes after they disappeared the first explosion went off. Moments later another. He waited for a minute and hearing no more sounds of struggle he sent more scourge in. He sent several teams in and after a good ten minutes heard no more explosions. He judged the dead to have gone at least one and a half miles into the valley and assumed Sylvanas had only planted her bombs up till that point. His apothecaries continued the slow work of blowing and removing the trees once more while he watched.

The apothecaries would plant their bombs, light the fuses and then run back for more bombs. It was ridiculously slow and the impatient Arthas ordered the wagons to move further into the valley. Mobs of scourge pushed them along until the death knight signaled them to stop. Ahead the bombers ran back to their position, eyes wide as saucers and shaking once more. Arthas pushed past them and walked into the tangle and saw dozens of scourge lying dead with arrows in them. He looked at the angle of the arrows and then slowly looked up. Just as his eyes caught sight of the first archer another arrow whizzed by his head and sunk into a felled tree with a solid "thunk" sound. As he turned to run back to the safety of the mouth the sound of another arrow hitting his shoulderpad and the force pushing him to the ground told him he'd been hit. He lifted himself and ran again with a rain of arrows falling all around him.

"This is ridiculous!" he screamed at the units of death knights and apothecaries at the mouth of the valley. "How can such a simple obstacle be so hard to pass? I want that pass cleared before nightfall and if it is not clear I promise you'll all wish a thousand times for your second death!"

The very angry lich turned from them and slowly walked towards the portal for Acherus, savagely ripping the arrow from his shoulder as he walked.

Word from the archers on the cliffs was sent quickly to the camp below which erupted in cheers at the word of the death knight being hit. Had they known it was not the arrow that sent him from the field but the frustration of his army's inability to navigate a few simple fallen trees they might have been more reserved. As it was they looked at this like a victory and behaved as if it had been. Sylvanas knew better and kept reserved and vigilant. Not more than one half hour later her vigilance paid off when the first explosion and orange plume lifted in the hills to the east.

"Alright people." she said calmly. "The party has started up again and I think they want to dance. On your toes and try to look pretty!"

Her humor in the situation struck many of the rangers as odd while the more war-tested trolls saw it for exactly what it was; a mixture of nervous anticipation and bravado aimed at giving them all a sense of fearlessness that they could handle anything. But in the growing darkness as the sun finally began to lower past the mountains They wondered exactly what would come over those mountains.

The archers that had been stationed there had orders to move out at the first explosion yet Sylvanas hoped some of them would have waited to see how big the incursive force was. Above her the hills seemed to light up with the explosions and by her calculations they had pretty much all been set off and the scourge still advanced. The archers rushed down the hillside towards the camp as the rangers prepared to face the onslaught of advancing dead. There were no explosions on the western side of the valley so she knew no scourge were coming in behind them and wondered what fool was running the attack on the opposite side. Still, she thought, perhaps moving to a more central point would be better and whispered orders to be passed along for the men to move to their horses. With the amount of crashing noises coming from the hillside she imagined a fairly large force was still coming and if that was the case the camp was lost. She kept a squadron of archers with her to slow the enemy if they arrived before the rangers finished mounting.

As the hills lit up with explosions Arthas arrived back at the make-shift camp and was informed they had abandoned the valley and sent the attack over the eastern mountains.

"Why not the western mountains as well?" he asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. "Never mind! I will issue the orders now. First, send a legion over the western hills…then start strapping these explosives to more of these mindless zombies and send them into the tangle. Once they've worked their way into it shoot a volley of torched arrows."

Sinister smiles crept across the faces of the death knights at these orders. The death knights felt themselves above the scourge if for no other reason than they could think. Their brains operated as one would expect, with the only difference being a loss of will power. It was probably the greater will of Arthas' master the Lich King that held their will power in check and as long as he lived they would be content slaves, never even knowing their will was not their own.

At the other end of the pass an unholy shriek told the rangers that the hungering dead had seen them and now rushed their twisted bodies at much faster speed towards them. Sylvanas and her archers laid the first volley out and dropped a good number of the aberrations in their tracks yet more vaulted over them and kept rushing. Volley after volley piled the dead up and yet there seemed no end in sight of them. In the distance Sylvanas saw something else that gave her pause. Another group moving more purposeful instead of the blind rush of the undead. This group was also armored in black plate armor and carried great broadswords. They didn't move fast at all but seemed to be looking for something or someone. She instinctively knew it was her and shivered sensing the sinister reason for their prowling nature. She kept a keen eye on the ebon knights as she moved her archers back towards their horses. The scourge were almost upon them just as a blaring war horn sounded behind them.

Vespias and her rangers charged from the crest of the hill, swords drawn and eyes wide, ready for the carnage about to fall into their laps. Archers on the hill filled the sky with arrows that rained down on the hapless scourge cutting them away before the riders got to them, disorganizing them even more and scattering them in all directions. The ebon shadows retreated at the sound of the horns and Sylvanas and her small unit mounted and prepared to ride. Close by Vespias circled her rush through the remaining scourge, hacking and slashing as they went leaving a trail of broken headless bodies in their wake. Like a rogue wave that washes across a beach they came, washed away everything in their path and retreated back into the secret places in their ocean. The thunder of the horses' hooves disappeared as soon as the troop crested the hill, silently retreating into the forests and the night. Retreating, living, and soon planning for their next deadly strike.

The scourge blew the remaining tangle away with the suicidal order Arthas had given and the bulk of the army moved through with very little event. Above them more poured over the hills, setting off more explosions and plumes of orange smoke. The scourge finished off any wounded who had been left behind in their typical fashion which repulsed even Arthas. When they had started this grisly feast he moved his camp to the east of the pass and set his headquarters in a large semi-round clearing with the hills as his rear guard the ocean to his left. His Nerubian tunnelers started to work right away and began digging while cart after cart of building supplies poured through the pass accompanied by scores of workers. Now that he had breached the pass Arthas planned on staying in Quel'Thalas and started building a fortress to operate from. He would call it Deatholme and at its center he would erect the Tower of the Damned and all in these lands would come to fear it.

Not far away in the solitude of the forests Vespias reported to Ranger-General Windrunner with a crisp salute and handed her the papers sent by Anasterian. Sylvanas saw tears welling in Vessy's eye and took the papers with a return salute and then pulled the girl in and hugged her.

"I thought I would be too late," she sobbed, breaking down, "and find you all dead. I thought…"

The flow of tears became too intense for the girl to continue speaking and Sylvanas was glad she had pulled her from camp for her report. She didn't want any of the troops to see such displays of emotion from her officers and certainly not from her.

"It's alright Vessy." she cooed softly. "I never doubted you would arrive in time. I knew you wouldn't let me down. I just had to hold out and you would be there."

She lifted the young elf's chin and gently wiped the tears from her face. She wanted to go on holding the girl until the sun found them but knew she would be taking advantage of a frightened child and not a consenting woman and that would simply not do.

"Come now" she continued. "Let's get that face cleaned up and presentable and move these people somewhere safe where we can begin our plans. I want you to send riders out to Windrunner Village and tell them to prepare for us. Tell them to…"

The look in Vessy's eye told her any more orders would be senseless. She told the general how they had found the village and the story that Halor Vedoran had told her. She told her word for word, not wanting to hold any detail out.

"I should have expected something like this." Sylvanas said bitterly. "This is what they do best. Run away from problems. Run away and to hell with anybody left behind. It doesn't matter who suffers as long as _**they don't**_!"

"I'm sorry Sylvanas" said Vespias putting a hand on the general's arm. "I didn't know how to tell you any other way. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Sylvanas smiled at the girl and called Nor to them and told him to get the troop moving towards the village. She then called the demolition squad leader to have his people to check the entire village and the spire and plan their charge placements. She then turned to Vessy and told her to take a small detail and get some meat for the rangers. There were almost a thousand of them now, more if you counted the trolls, and they all had to be fed. She suddenly realized she would have to go over a full logistics change now that there were so many. While she planned what was needed she silently thanked Elune for sending her new problems to work on and replace the hurt she felt at yet another betrayal by her parents. She wondered if they had the decency to let Vereesa know or perhaps she was just as unwelcome for marrying a human. She guessed money wasn't the end-all when it came to raising children to be proper.

Chapter 35:

Towers Rise, Towers Fall

For weeks Sylvanas harried the workers trying to build Deatholme while also being harried by Arthas and his scourge. He had been bringing more and undead into Quel'Thalas since that night in the pass. Sylvanas had been much more successful that night than she thought. When all was said and done she had robbed Arthas of almost thirty-five hundred troops. Her defense of the pass and the surrounding mountains had cut a huge hole into his army and it served to anger the lich even more than any thought possible. The first official act he performed in his new, still-rising city was to execute his apothecaries and raise them as forsaken, a new type of undead. Like death knights, forsaken would retain much of their intelligence and just lack willpower. Now they would build his explosives and not worry about dying in their deliveries. All of the fallen rangers had been raised as forsaken as would most of the ones he would kill in his march to Silvermoon. Only those who fought with particular skill or savagery would go on to be death knights now. They would be his elite troops but their training took too long to use as regular infantry. Besides, with the rangers he now had cavalry as well as infantry since he had his necromancers raising their dead mounts as well.

Many times Sylvanas and Vespias would find secluded spots to spy on the happenings in the city of death being raised in the valley. The sight of her rangers standing in death, trying to steady their frightened mounts was more than she or her companion could bear and more than not would bring tears to their eyes.

"Promise me something Vespias;" the ranger-general said one day, "if I am ever killed in battle, I want you to take my head. Take it far away from my body and hide it somewhere. Promise me you won't let them do that to me."

The young elf was at first taken aback by the very odd and macabre request but soon she realized just how frightened the woman was. She wasn't afraid of being raised as much as she was afraid of attacking her own people, killing them for Arthas and perhaps even eating them. She confided that she had been having nightmares where she was doing just that, how she would always awaken just as she was about to bite into the flesh of someone…she couldn't see the woman's face but she felt her heart was breaking and yet she had no choice but to rip into the flesh with her teeth. She would always wake at that point, drenched in sweat and shaking violently.

During their many hours together she confided a great many things to the young elf including the source of her unhappy teenaged years. She told Vessy of the way she was forced into the company of men and how it would sicken her to be with them. She watched the elf carefully when she told her and was overjoyed when she saw the girl would not judge her. Her preferences did not faze the young woman in the least, a testament to the very good upbringing she had. She also confided that she wished Vessy's parents had been hers, so she could have had a "regular" life. Vespias agreed that her father might not have been thrilled with the choice but would have stood by her in it.

Nor was never made aware of Sylvanas' preferences since Vessy thought that was a personal bit of information that the general might not want made public, yet she did confide her request about removing her head should she die.

"I've thought about it long and hard my love." she told him, slowly choosing her words. "I want you to do the same for me. I don't want to become one of them, and maybe hurt you or anyone else I know."

"Nothing is going to happen to you Vessy" he replied, not sure of how to deal with her request. "You're the Hali'Khal, the prophesized savior…"

"Stop it Nor!" she snapped angrily. "If you won't do it I'll get Sylvanas to do it!"

It took the young man a good bit of time to calm the woman down finally promising to do as she wished even though he knew it was never going to come to that. He just wanted her to calm down and keep her mind in focus, not worried about what would happen should she die. He wished Sylvanas would do the same. It disturbed him in a way to know his commanding officer was slowly losing her mind and living in recurring dreams rather than focusing on reality.

Arthas rode his risen horse Invincible slowly along the trail that would bring him and his squad of death knights along the back road that lead into Windrunner Village. He grinned as he rode through the deserted streets, looking in the abandoned storefronts and thinking about the lives he had ruined here. His knights were eager to dismount and scout for signs of the rangers, looking for fresh kills. Arthas had learned his lessons about the ingenuity and ruthlessness of his ranger counterpart and kept them mounted. Soon his keen eyes saw what looked like a wire wrapped around the leg of a chair that blocked an open doorway. He dismounted and threw a plank at the chair to dislodge it and seconds later the entire building crashed into itself in a very loud explosion.

"You're a clever bitch Sylvanas." he thought to himself. "I can't deny that. I just hope you retain that cleverness when your spirit is mine to command."

The explosion echoed throughout the countryside and reached the strong elven ears in the ranger camp. The trolls heard it too and Bwemba cackled that "maybe da buildin' be fallin' on Arthas' dumb head" bringing a good laugh from those close enough to hear it. Sylvanas ran from her tent and quickly mounted her horse while Vessy and Nor did the same and the trio rode hard towards a secret spot near the village.

Arthas allowed his men to dismount and instructed them to be extraordinarily careful as they traversed the town looking for signs of life. High on a hill off to the side of the village three sets of the keenest eyes on Azeroth watched his every move. Sylvanas held a small plunger in her hand with wires that ran back down the hill towards the great spire she had grown up in. Bwemba had followed along and now she prepared to use her special brand of magic and transformed herself into a tiger before their astonished eyes. Moments later she shocked them even further when she faded from sights and made her way down the side of the hill and entered the town. She went into a building that had been purposely left free of explosives, moved to a back room and pushed a chair out and coughed.

Moments later she was back outside the building as a tiger, her form melting away to thin air as she ran away from the quickly advancing death knights. Sylvanas smiled as the ruse worked and her hand gripped the plunger as she watched the group move closer to her trap. Arthas held the group back at first, inspecting the doorway intently and then turning a suspicious eye towards the tower, checking the windows for archers. He turned to study it as the death knights milled about. If he went into the tower he would see the explosives thought Sylvanas and she almost willed him to turn around again. Moments later he resumed his inspection of the doorway finally stepping inside and calling his death knights to guard the exterior.

With an evil grin Sylvanas pushed the plunger and a series of explosions blew out the base of the spire and the building began to fall…directly towards the small house that her enemy was in. To everybody watching the event seemed to take forever. First the explosion and debris flying out, hitting some of the knights and knocking them to the ground. The tower itself, leaning precariously and then falling, gaining momentum as it traveled downward. The death knights turning frightened faces towards the incoming monolith and then the front door of the house growing dark as Arthas' body filled the frame looking to see what was happening and then diving just as the tower smashed into the roof of the home, a huge dust cloud enveloping everything around the scene of destruction. The elves waited for long minutes while the dust first raised high into the sky and then slowly settled.

Vessy was first to spot the body of Arthas sprawled out on the ground but not _under_ the wreckage. She could see no movement on either his part or his knights but she was loath to go down and see if he was indeed dead. No she thought, I'll just sit here and watch till he either moves or rots away. Several of the knights _were_ dead, of that she was sure. Sylvanas was sure Arthas was dead but caution prevented her from moving as well and the four assassins remained hidden and watched. And then Arthas moved! He slowly lifted himself from the floor, his steps very uneven and shaken. A few of his knights rose as well in much the same condition. It took them all a good twenty minutes to be able to move once again and the ranger-general could see Arthas pace and bang his fist in his hand as he spoke to his knights. She could hear him talking but not well enough to change it from sound to words until he turned towards the forests that surrounded the village.

"I hope you got a good laugh you bitch!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "I know you're watching Sylvanas! I know you're out there! And now you know that I will never rest till your body is dead at my feet! You and every other damned elf in this world. The only elves this world will know are my undead knights!"

As the remaining death knights left the village behind their master Sylvanas seemed to finally breathe. It was as if she had held her breath the whole time Arthas was looking for her. For the first time Vespias could see that the woman was genuinely afraid of Arthas. She wondered if her commander would be able to give the order to attack when the time came and if she could meet him in battle. She secretly planned to stick by Sylvanas as much as she could in battle to make sure that either Sylvanas' hand or hers ended the madman's advance. She also planned to make the kill belong to the ranger-general no matter which one delivered the final blow. Despite whatever demons controlled Sylvanas right now, she had been the mastermind in everything so far and she deserved the credit.

Back in Deatholme Arthas' engineers spent the next two weeks in a frenzy at his orders and completed the Tower of the Damned ahead of schedule and now prepared to transport the Eye of Acherus to the new tower where Arthas would use it to find his enemies. He would search for the elusive elves and crush them and then raise their bodies in service to him. He would use them to kill even more of the cursed rangers and then finally send his forsaken ranger army at the walls of Silvermoon City. He would do all this and more to punish Sylvanas. And if his death knights would be able to capture the elf alive he would break her in life before he owned her in death. He became obsessed with the ranger and blamed her for every setback that had plagued him. To the holders of title back in Lordaeron, they saw her become Jania in his eyes. Unable to punish her for her betrayal he instead placed Sylvanas at the crux of every problem.

In her own life, in the midst of war, Sylvanas was strangely happy. For the first time in her life the person who had come to mean more to her than anybody accepted her for who she was. She was finally no longer in an unwelcomed stare of a parent looking away or a sibling teasing her. She was finally…happy. Her entire demeanor changed and she spoke to her rangers in much softer tones and always seemed to smile. Every single person in the unit wondered which of them had bedded the general and brought about the change. Of course no one stepped forward to claim the honor but they all thought there could be no other explanation. Miles away as the Eye was lowered into a waiting cart the future of the rangers and their officers and their land would be changed forever very soon and none of them would ever have the opportunity to wonder again.

Chapter 36:

The First Payment

The battles between the scourge and the rangers had been fairly small, mostly hit and run tactics on both parts. Arthas' death knights would shoot out with new information concerning General Windrunner still under command to capture her while she in turn would attack on information that Arthas would be supervising some detail somewhere. The two armies missed each other constantly and when they did meet the battles were swift and done as quickly as they had started almost like a passing rain on a hot summer day. On this day that would all end. Deatholme was well on its way to being a viable base for Arthas, the scourge forces had swelled within the high walls of the small city, and information gleaned from the few captured rangers told the lich exactly who he would have to deal with to get to Sylvanas. He never would have thought that a simple farm girl would have been such a branch in his machinery. It didn't matter now, he had his army, he had his targets, and he had his fill of waiting. The time had come to strike.

In the ranger camp hidden deep within the forest Sylvanas looked at her troops, at the way they cavorted and played and at their general lack of awareness that there was a war going on. The small skirmishes had lulled them into a false security and she worried that a real attack would find them severely unprepared. The first few days of summer were upon them now and she knew the city of the dead was almost finished. She also knew Arthas was here for a reason and that tiny plot of land was not it by any means. As she wandered about the camp her restlessness grew and the feeling that something was about to happen finally prompted her to send her dragonhawks into the air to scout the area. She watched as they flew but she knew there were many spots they wouldn't be able to see.

"Lieutenant Helios!" she called out as she passed the ranger's tent. "I want you to take five rangers and ride towards the eastern coast. Keep within the forests and do not engage any enemy you may see. This is purely a scouting mission."

Nor had overheard the order and asked his commander what she was thinking could happen. If she had a feeling he thought he should know as well.

"I just don't feel right about this day." she replied. "Are you up to a little ride yourself? I'd love to have another patrol go and see what they're up to at Deatholme."

Nor just grinned and nodded to the elf before pointing to several militia to prepare themselves. Bwemba watched the young man as he saddled his horse and she felt a sudden wave of dread pass over her. Her body shivered as she motioned for the ranger to join her.

"You bes' not be goin' out dere today" she said matter-of-factly. "Da signs, dey not lookin' good."

"Bwemba, you're like an old mother hen!" he laughed as he kissed the troll on her forehead. "This is war. Could the signs _ever_ be good? I'll be careful mother hen, I promise."

The druid was not amused by his lack of understanding that any warning from her was much more than a simple old wives feeling. Her premonitions came from the Loa, the spirit who saw _everything_ before it happened. She waited till the young man rode past the camp boundaries before she closed her eyes and quickly stood with her arms outstretched and as her feet left the ground she was suddenly covered in fine hair and her arms were changed to leathery wings. With a shrill squeak the druid bat flew towards the sky in the direction the elf had gone.

Vespias had woken from a short nap ready to begin her night watch and stopped to call on Sylvanas as she passed her tent.

"Good evening Sylvanas." she said cheerfully. "It looks like another quiet night. Have you seen Nor anywhere?"

"He's gone on a scouting mission to see what they're up to at the city." the elf replied. "He left about an hour ago."

Vespias left the tent walking slowly towards the command post. She hated when Nor took patrols out on his own especially now that Arthas and his minions were within the forest. She shook her head at her silly thoughts as she climbed the ladder to the tree top post. From her vantage point she could see a good five miles in any direction and she idly looked in the direction of the city. Her eyes focused on a lone bird she saw yet it wasn't like any bird she knew to be in these woods. Something gnawed at her and she couldn't take her eyes from it until movement below it caught her eye.

"ON YOUR FEET!" she screamed as she rang the alarm bell. "RIDERS COMING FAST AND THE WHOLE DAMNED SCOURGE ARMY BEHIND THEM! ARCHERS TO YOUR MARKS! CAVALRY, READY THE HORSES!"

She shimmied down a rope and ran towards the archer's area amid the chaos that had erupted in the camp. Soldiers ran cursing while they tried to reach their posts and dress at the same time. As Sylvanas feared the camp was not prepared. Had Vessy not sounded the alarm when she did they would have been slaughtered like lambs.

Sylvanas and Vessy took their places on the archer's mark ready to set off their first volley. The young elf strained her eyes and finally saw her Nor riding hard trying to keep ahead of the sea of undead that was trying desperately to wash over him. She judged the gap between him and the attackers and then the speed that they all approached at and lifted her bow. On either side of her Sylvanas and the other archers all did the same.

"Take your aim well!" she yelled above the growing din of the attackers. "Make sure you hit the enemy and not our people!"

In front of her Nor had cleared the area and she was about to let her arrow lose when she saw him wheel back around. One of his men had his horse cut out from under him and Nor circled back and pulled the man up and onto the horse but the mob was already too close. As fast as the man had gotten up the undead yanked him back down. Nor spurred his horse as the icy fingers of death already clutched at him.

Vespias had her heart in her mouth as she watched the failed rescue and she now shot her arrows at a blinding speed to distance the attackers from the man she loved. At her side Sylvanas was doing the same dropping undead at an alarming rate, pausing long enough to smile at Vessy and nod towards Nor who was now putting a good distance between himself and the hungering mass of death behind him. With a blast on the war horn the cavalry emerged from the forest, shooting from their bows as they crossed the field on a collision course with the undead attackers. Nor could see Vessy now and as he rode towards her the beaming smile he wore suddenly turned to a grimacing visage. The young elf's eyes grew wide as she watched him slump in the saddle before slipping from it and crashing hard to the ground. As if in slow motion she could hear herself scream his name as he fell and she saw the three arrows that still quivered in his back. She was on her feet running towards him even as his face hit the ground in a shower of mud and dirt.

"NOR!" she screamed as she rushed to his side. "PLEASE GET UP! THEY'LL GET US! GET UP!"

She was trying to drag his body as best she could, tears streaming down her face leaving their tracks in the dirt from the field. His hands had no grip in them to hold onto her and his legs had no ability to move as well. They had no way of knowing that one of the arrows had cut his spinal cord or that one of the others had imbedded in his kidney. Nor was dying fast and there was no help on all of Azeroth that would change that. The cavalry halted the frenzied advance of the undead and several militia quickly brought Nor's body to a wagon and Vessy jumped in with him. As the wagon sped through the trees the girl looked down at the man in her arms through the blinding veil of tears and tried her best to smile for him. His lips moved but he could barely use his voice and she leaned her head towards them, still clutching his hand.

"Who…who's gonna…take care of you now?" he whispered. "You have to…you have…to…leave this place."

A sudden jolt of pain arched his body, the final thrusts of his already dead nervous system. Vessy screamed again as he jerked towards her.

"I love you!" he said quickly as his voice found a way for the last time. His eyes rolled back and his next breath carried the rattle of his blood-filled lungs and there in the back of the wagon Vessy felt her heart die just as Nor had, in pain and far too soon. She held him in her arms, gently caressing his face while the wagon continued through the forest before stopping some five miles past the site of the battle.

Her mournful sobs filled the night there in the secluded woodlands. As if in tune with the grieving girl all of nature seemed to stand in mourning. The very trees themselves appeared as if with bowed heads. Behind her Kasi crept into the camp lying next to Nor as if understanding that his master would never call him again. Soon Bwemba found them and sat with Vessy to comfort her.

"De ways of dis world be strange sometimes" she said softly. "We all t'ought he was tru an' den dis happened. He scolded me before he left…called me a mudder hen. I wish I had been harder an' made him stay."

The druid sat with the girl, softly singing an old troll lament that she had heard and performed far too many times for her liking. Along the eastern mountains the sun lifted above the rim sending the first shafts of light into the glen. Vessy still wept, her eyes almost swollen shut. Sylvanas walked to her and sat next to her and the young girl turned into her arms and cried more tears than she knew she had. The ranger looked down at Nor's body and felt her own wave of tears beginning to well in her eyes.

"Nor was a good man" she said respectfully. "And he will have a commander's burial."

"Please, no" Vespias replied in a cracking voice. "I want his body somewhere safe. Ranger Vedoran will take him to my father. He will know where to place him. Then I will know where to find him when this is over and Arthas is dead."

The captain's body was lifted into the wagon and the assembly of rangers saluted as it passed. Not one among them could say a bad word about the elf and of all the casualties that had befallen them during the night; his was the hardest on them. They all now looked at the small ranger who had been closest to him, lifting herself up from the ground. His blood had dried on her armor leaving a stain she would never try to remove. Her eyes were nearly closed and her nose was beet red and still sniffling when she turned to them.

"I have paid the first price in this prophecy!" she said, trying to keep her composure. "I will fulfill this now no matter if it costs my life. Last night Arthas took my heart from me. From here on, he will pay for it every night. I will not rest until he is dead, his shriveled heart in my hand and his cursed sword shattered. There is nowhere in this world he can hide from me!'

She turned a defiant eye towards Deatholme and screamed at the top of her lungs;

"YOU'LL NEVER GET AWAY FROM ME KILLER! DO YOU HEAR ME ARTHAS? YOU'LL NEVER BE RID OF ME TILL YOU'RE DEAD AND ROTTING!"

Chapter 37:

Changes

The next few weeks saw a terrible change in Vespias. In the first few days she gathered her militia and sent them home to insure their villages would be evacuated to Silvermoon City and that the king knew exactly what was coming his way. Sylvanas sent her report containing the estimated number of troops the enemy had and what her plans were. The last line of her report held the ominous truth that the rangers would not be able to stop the advance but they would do all in their power before falling back into the city. To many that seemed that last rational act that Vespias had left in her and everything she did afterwards was fueled by hatred and desire for revenge. She would charge into units of undead, loping off heads and other parts with a reckless abandon. When she wasn't in battle she would still move around the camps they set as if searching for Nor, expecting him to appear from a tent and hold her in his arms once more. She had not been eating right and her personal hygiene habits had fallen by the roadside as well.

Bwemba tried to calm her as did many of the others in the camp but she would often snap angrily at them and storm off to be alone. Sylvanas had held back in saying anything. She could only imagine the pain the girl was in and she wanted to give her ample time to grieve. After watching Vespias literally push another ranger out of her way she thought maybe today was the day.

"Vespias." she said in her commander's voice. "I want you to ride with me. We have much to discuss in the way our attacks have been going."

The usually happy girl just grumbled as she walked quickly to her horse and mounted. Sylvanas had very little to talk about regarding attack plans but she used that as a ruse to lure the young elf away from the camp. They rode off into the woods till they came across a lake where Sylvanas dismounted.

The summer had arrived in Quel'Thalas and it seemed as if this would be another of those above normal heat summers. Not even halfway through the first month the temperatures had gone past ninety five times already and this particular morning had the feel that it might be the sixth day for such a temperature. The summer heat had matched Vessy's disposition, hot and volatile and Sylvanas knew just how to handle it. She bantered about what they needed to address in their attacks and at length the older elf tried to change the subject.

"When is the last time you bathed Vessy?" she asked. "Or tried to get the knots out of your hair?"

"I don't know." mumbled the girl. "Why should it matter? Am I supposed to impress the undead scum before I kill them?"

"Look, I understand you lost Nor" the older elf replied, "but you're an officer in the rangers and besides that you…"

"You want my fucking commission back?" snarled Vespias, quickly moving into a defensive mode. "You can have it! I'm fed up with all this proper military bullshit anyway! Arthas is in that city…why aren't we going after him?"

For a second Sylvanas was about to reply to the girl's anger with her own. Thankfully she allowed herself a moment to calm down before speaking again.

"Vespias listen to me." she said softly. "I know that you feel alone and as if you lost everything. But you told me once that red heart you wear about your neck was a reminder that you are never alone. That you are always loved. Yes, Nor is gone but your family is still here. They love you and want nothing more than for you to be safe!"

She watched as the young girl's face softened and her trembling fingers reached to grasp her necklace as if drawing strength from it.

"It's not just your family that feels this way" she added as she walked to her horse. "Since the first day I met you I have cared for you as well. Plenty of people love you. It's a luxury some of us do not have and to see you squander it is an affront to us."

She reached into her saddlebags and tossed a towel and soap to the girl before mounting.

"I'll see you back in camp." said the ranger. "Don't be too long. I worry."

Vespias nodded and as she watched Sylvanas ride off through the trees she fell to the ground and cried just as hard as she had cried the night she lost Nor. The difference this time was that while she still missed him she was ashamed of the way she had been. This wasn't what her mother and father taught her to do. Sylvanas was right. She had no right acting this way. She wiped the tears away with a dirty hand and slowly undressed and slipped into the warm waters of the lake letting them cover and caress her and float away all the bad feelings she had harbored for too long.

Vespias and Vash loaded the wagons with as many of the necessary goods they would be taking to Silvermoon. Vash worried about her daughter, how her heart must have broken. She remembered the day the wagon turned onto the road to their home, a lone ranger with his head hung low at the reigns. Vash's heart sank at the sight fearing it was her daughter in the back of the wagon. Ves came out at the sound and ran to the wagon. When they saw Nor's body they felt a wave of relief and a great sadness wash over them at the same time. Vash took the girls back inside after they had run out too and Ves sadly took the young man who would have been his son-in-law to be prepared for burial. The ranger had told him what Vessy said and he knew where she wanted his body placed. When all was ready and the man had been cleaned and wrapped in cloth strips Ves placed him back in the wagon and took him high into the mountains. There in the back of the lion's cave where Kasi was born Nor's body was laid into a crevasse and covered with stone. When he had finished it just looked as though a pile of stone had fallen and not like a burial place. Here the young man would be safe from the defilement his daughter feared so much.

"Rest now son." he said softly. "Elune has you and your new family will keep you in our hearts always."

Back in the ranger camp sunlight filtered through the opened flap of Sylvanas' tent as Vespias entered, her head lowered. The smell of the soap lingered on her body and her hair shone once again, falling over her shoulders in a golden cascade.

"I'm sorry for the way I have been Sylvanas" she said humbly. "I allowed my emotions to carry me away to a place I was not meant to be. I think I'll be alright now."

The ranger general pulled the young girl in an embrace and held her gently. She lifted the girl's chin and smiled at her before kissing her softly on her forehead.

"I'm glad you've reconsidered." she said to the girl. "I was so afraid for you…I didn't want to lose you as well. Now then, let's get some food into you."

She ushered the girl out of her tent and towards the food prep area ordering one of the cooks to find some food suitable for a Colonel of the Farstrider Rangers.

While Vespias ravenously ate her first good meal in over a month, Silvermoon was alight with tradesmen and soldiers rushing to and fro in an attempt at shoring up the defenses of the city. The elven gates were shut and barred and the only way into the city was now the smaller and easier to reopen gate at Falconwing Square. Buttresses had been installed along the inside of the alabaster outer walls of the city and ditches dug along the outside of the wall. Large kettles had been hoisted to the parapets that would be filled with oil and cooked to boiling before spilling it down on the enemy. Engineers were busy excavating a tunnel that ran from under the courtyard of the Farstriders and stretched across the courtyard, under the wall, and finally ended at the lakeside teaching academy.

A very smug Dar'Khan Drathire watched over the operation with keen eyes. The construction for this had been his idea. He explained that squads of well-trained assassins could use the tunnel to sneak into an area behind the scourge army and surprise and kill Arthas as the situation allowed. The actual use was far more sinister. He had the king building his own escape route that he would use once his act of treason had been performed, his traitorous opening of the city to be consumed by Arthas and his scourge army. Once the undead had passed and gone to the Sunwell and Arthas had all he wanted then the people would watch him return triumphantly as their new king. They would have to bend to his will and accept him or Arthas would return and visit even more sorrow on them. Certainly he had read the reports sent by Sylvanas that clearly outlined his desire for genocide as well as the Sunwell but that had simply been the overworked imagination of a much stressed military commander trying to paint as bleak a picture as she could to get more aid. He remembered how she looked that night so long ago at her promotion party and thought that if she survived he might make her one of his concubines. Her and that sharp-tongued witch who had made a mockery of him.

He smiled at the thought of the two women padding about the palace barefoot, at his beck and call, his playthings to do with as he pleased. His delusions had grown proportionately as Arthas moved closer to the city. Had he known the fate Arthas had in store for him he would not be as smug and relaxed in his ways. He would be filled with horror and dread, urging the builders to get the defenses in place faster. Fear would rule him instead of complacency.

Veron watched the short ferret-like man move across the courtyard, ever mistrustful of him ever since his sister had told him what kind of man he was. He had seen him moving about the city in the dead of night while on midnight watch. Times when decent people slept he was about, like a rat searching for garbage, always looking into places. Veron watched him as he walked around the power crystals that kept not only the city in power but the defensive mage wall as well. He didn't trust the magister and he tried to keep an eye on him whenever he was about. He would liken him to a snake but thought better of insulting snakes everywhere.

Far to the south in the city of Deatholme the scourge war machine was about to start rolling in earnest now. The siege engines were ready, the battle plans laid out, the army, scourge, forsaken, and death knights all ready to go. The apothecaries had not only supplied explosives and bombs but a terrible new weapon as well. Constructs they called them. Horrible man-made creatures of terrifying proportions and temperament. They stood over nine feet tall, most with an extra arm coming from their backs, some with mouths on their stomachs and yet others with metal parts holding them together and even filling in for missing flesh. They carried long chains with huge hooks on them that they would throw out and yank till they caught an enemy and then pulled him or her to them. If the captured person mercifully died in the yank all the better for them. If not then unimaginable horror waited for them at the hands of these grotesque beings. Spines would be ripped out, arms and legs torn away from the body, even heads popped off and skulls broken open to get to the soft brain inside.

Arthas looked on them as his greatest assets after his death knights. He left a small garrison in the city as he took his place at the front of this macabre army. The time had finally come for him to begin the destruction of Quel'Thalas and the obliteration of the elves in the genocide he would bring to them.

He started out slowly and behind him hell would follow.

Chapter 38:

Red Dawn

As the night crept by slowly Sylvanas tossed in her sleep again as she had been doing every night since she took command. In her dreams many different demons from both her past and present took turns tormenting her. Tonight it was her parents. She was fifteen and they had just found her in a compromising position with a young girl from the village. Her mother was screaming at her, refusing to let her young, frightened daughter speak. Behind her mother she could see her father with the other girl, but not clearly enough to see what was happening. She could see the girl's hands clutching at his arms but she couldn't see his hands. Her mother's stinging slap brought her back to focus as the normally staid matron was losing what small amount of patience she had.

"Bring that little bitch home!" she heard her father say. "I'll deal with her there. We can't be found here now."

As they quickly left the building she could see the other girl lying there dead, her throat still a ruby red from where her father had strangled her. Nobody to tell the word of the horrid perversions that lived in the House of Windrunner. Once inside the spire he slapped the girl hard, and as a trickle of blood ran from her lip she tried to scream but his hand roughly slapped her again. Her terrified cries echoed in the empty spire long through the night.

She awoke with a jerk, bathed in sweat and feeling miserable. Her canteen was empty to boot and her throat parched. She walked from her tent and paused as the cool night air washed across her breasts drying the sweat quickly. She silently entered Vessy's tent and began to pour some of the girl's water into her canteen.

"Sylvanas?" asked a drowsy Vessy. "Another bad dream?"

"Yes." came the quick reply. "I'm just getting water. Go back to sleep."

Instead the girl moved towards the end of her bed and pulled the sheets down, sleepily telling the older woman to get in. Vessy was treating the ranger the same way she would treat her sisters if they came to her. She was also still not comfortable sleeping alone. Sylvanas just stood there looking at the bed and weighing the situation when Vespias opened an eye and looked at the woman.

"Get in." she said again. "I want to get some sleep before the dawn."

Sylvanas gently lowered herself into the bed and Vessy pulled the sheets back up over both of them and pulled the older woman closer to her, her arm remaining around her until they both fell into a much better sleep. Their mutual need to feel held and comforted had been found that night. Sylvanas was asleep quickly with none of the terrors that plagued her and Vespias had that warm body next to her, happy to not be alone at night when her loss hurt the most.

Several hours later the ranger general woke and slipped from the bed soundlessly. She leaned over and kissed her savior gently on the cheek before exiting the tent. She turned at the flap and saw a smile on the young girl and her own smile filled her full lips, a feat that had not happened in the first rays of dawn in a very long time. She hadn't been in her tent more than a few minutes when the galloping hooves of her returning patrol pulled her back outside quickly.

"Arthas marches General!" said the ranger. "He comes with a full army; siege engines, infantry, cavalry…everything he can muster! The line of his troops stretched as far as we could see!"

"Alert the others quietly!" she replied. "Everyone to their horses and ready to go in five minutes!"

As the patrol began running through the camp and waking everyone she ran into Vessy's tent to find the girl pulling her armor on.

"I heard!" she said to the older elf. "I just want one clean shot at that son of a bitch!"

"Vespias no!" said the general. "Take B Company and the trolls and get to the Sanctum of the Sun. I will take A Company and take a position at the Underlight Mines. When Arthas draws near we attack. Your group will take the closer position in the cross, we will ride wide. After we pass bring your people to Tranquillen…I will meet you there!"

Sylvanas had laid out a classic ranger attack where the group would be split in two and attack from opposite sides. They would crisscross and continue their attack while riding through and then ride away to regroup and either pass again or use another tactic. The young colonel had wanted to go directly after Arthas but she knew Sylvanas was right. The lives of not only the rest of the soldiers in camp but of everyone left in Quel'Thalas depended on them doing their job the way they were trained to, quickly and professionally. She was grateful that Sylvanas had given her the under on the crisscross. That would give her the shot she wanted. She quickly finished throwing her armor on and ran to her horse, Kasi by her side as always.

"This is it my big boy." she said as she looked into his soulful eyes. "If anything happens to me you run! You go back to the woods and live until you become an old lion."

She knew he wouldn't but she felt better for telling him. He would stay with her body and kill as many as he could before they brought him down and then whatever happened wouldn't matter after that. Somewhere in the back of an animal's mind they always knew that in death comes reunion with those who had already passed. When he died he would be with his beloved mistress and his master once more. Run? Not him. Not KasiUkomo as Bwemba called him. She said it meant "The Wind of Death" in the language of her people. He would be that wind until he could blow no more.

Twenty minutes later Sylvanas was organizing her troops in the way things would play out. She knew it would be another five minutes till Vespias was in place and doing the same thing. She sent her dragonhawks into the air with satchels of bombs and orders to drop them well behind the front lines of the battle. The last thing she needed was friendly fire depleting her forces. Arthas had plenty of scourge willing to do that on their own.

Time passed slowly for the rangers as they waited. Vespias in the heavily wooded area between the road and the Sanctum of the Sun, a pilgrimage spot where priests of the Sun would hear confessions and take requests from people for Elune to work her spellcraft through the sun for them. Just north of Sylvanas was the Sanctum of the Moon where the same thing occurred except she worked through the moon spirits. Both places were holy to the elves but she knew Arthas would trample them if they were in his way. The lich had his eye set on Silvermoon and then a short crossing to the Island of Quel'Danas, home of the Sunwell. Vespias suddenly wondered how he planned on crossing the straight to get there. Could he possibly be going all this way and simply hoping there would be galleons left in the harbor? Highly unlikely she thought and quickly scribbled a note and sent it with a runner to Silvermoon. She was instructing the Orc ships to circle around to the western part of the harbor and prepare for engagement with Arathi or Blackwater pirates.

Just as the rider left the very ground began to tremble, almost unperceivable at first but definitely trembling. Sylvanas felt it as well and the Ranger-General prepared for the battle that was now minutes away. She knew the feeling from the ground below her was simply the massive army of scourge and siege engines moving along the road. She crawled to the top of the mine entrance for a look and was shocked at what she saw. The very ground around the advancing army was crumbling into a sort of corroded, wretched husk of what it was moments before. The fel energies coming from this massive force were actually killing the very soil they walked on. The scourge walked along slowly and spanned more than one hundred yards across. The end of the column could not be seen from her spot and she could not even hazard a guess at the number of attackers. Her heart sank as she scrambled back to her horse. She knew they had no chance of stopping this juggernaut of death and destruction but she hoped they could at least damage it before it reached their capitol.

In Silvermoon King Anasterian strode among his city guard in his full plate armor, the crest of the Highborn in polished gold shining brightly. His armor was not the black of the guard but a deep royal blue color with golden highlights, much like the colors of Stormwind the human capitol. As he walked among the soldiers he wanted to offer words of encouragement that everything would work out as planned and that the enemy would be repelled and Silvermoon saved. His own scouts had returned with news of the massive army approaching so what he wanted to say, he couldn't find the words to say it with. As a precautionary measure he had every ship in the harbor stripped to a skeleton crew and everything unnecessary removed to make room for the massive outpouring of refugees from the city. Once the army eventually broke through the barrier he would order the evacuation to begin. The smarter inhabitants of the city were already at the docks.

High in the spire the traitorous Dar'Khan looked down on the city below him and allowed a cruel smile to cross his lips. His plans were in place and he was ready to do his part in ushering Arthas into the city. He had explosives ready to take out several of the power crystals that fed the barrier. Once he weakened it Arthas would have no trouble beating his way through. Then his next stop would be to weave a spell that would weaken the massive iron hinges on the gate at Falconwing Square and then rush back cross city to be as close as he could to his escape tunnel. Every single step had been planned and timed in the wee hours of the morning when nobody would see what he was doing. Very soon he thought, everyone would know what he had done and then they would fear him.

On the road Vespias watched the flaming arrow shot from the mines climb high into the air. With a nod to her hornsman as she lowered the visor on her helmet he sounded the first blast of the war horn, followed by many more, blaring from both sides of the scourge army. Arthas reared his horse as he screamed orders but the two ranger units were already at full charge and drawing closer by the second. Already arrows from Sylvanas' unit were hitting their marks confusing the enemy as Arthas was still trying to send them in the direction of Vespias' attack. He had misjudged which of the two would arrive first but in the end it wouldn't matter. His army was far too vast for this small force to do anything but waste more of his time.

Forsaken archers raced to the edges of the column and prepared to fire their deadly arrows. Every arrow they shot had the plague on the tip. That way, even a superficial wound would eventually kill the recipient and then raise them back and into servitude to Arthas. Vessy's troop took aim at them first, dropping them almost as fast as they appeared on the line. On the opposite side Sylvanas charged hard, her archers following the same pattern. Above them the dragonhawk riders dropped their explosives satchels further adding to the confusion in the ranks and completely disorganizing any return of fire at the attackers. Both units were now very close and Sylvanas started to pull her team wide while Vespias swooped across the formation underneath them. For a split second Vespias saw her shot. Arthas, still mounted and directing his troop turned just in time to see her let her arrow lose. He jerked the reigns and her arrow hit him inches from her intended target and imbedded into his chest in between his heart and his side. He grunted at the impact and cursed as he pulled the arrow from his body and saw the tell-tale sign of poison on the tip.

He threw the arrow to the ground and rode to the back of his caravan of death at a quick trot where his apothecaries would have antidotes to poisons in their potion laden wagons. Had he been a normal man the powerful poison would have dropped him in his tracks…but Arthas was no normal man. Arthas was the champion of the Lich King, born to battle and created to bring glory to the scourge. His target was the Sunwell and it would take more than a simple farmer's daughter to halt his advance. Still, he would halt his caravan here for the rest of the day and night to go over new strategies.

Chapter 39:

Taking Advantage

Just as she had been ordered, Vespias made her pass and she directed her troop towards the mines where Sylvanas had started her charge. B Company was very vocal, whoops and hollers as they rode off and once they got to the mines that changed to the deathly silence elven rangers are known for. On the opposite side of the scourge path Sylvanas had done the same. Now the undead would wonder if they were still there, if they would attack again, so many ifs to deal with while the truth of the matter was that both companies were already miles away and converging on the town of Tranquillen where they would reform and ride to their next ambush spot. Dragonhawk riders were dispatched once more to check on the scourge positions and report all activity within their camp. While they rested their horses the rangers gave themselves a well-deserved pat on the back for the raid. Not one ranger had dropped in the altercation and they felt invincible. Sylvanas allowed them their victory, but she knew they only got away with it because it was such a surprise to Arthas that he would be attacked. Neither he nor his men were prepared.

Sylvanas and Vespias went over their maps and decided the next attack location would be just south of their current spot. The attack this time would be a parallel with the two companies lying in wait and then streaking by along both sides doing as much damage as possible before returning to the safety of the forest. Ideally they would ride hard for about one mile dealing this damage however they were prepared to cut it short should the enemy return the charge. They both understood that they could not stop this, only make these small, slashing attacks. It was much like attacking a large man armed with a razor blade. The cuts would be small but you could conceivably make enough of them to really weaken your opponent before the final battle would begin. Just as they were set on where the rally point would be the riders returned with reports that the scourge caravan was stopped.

"No doubt Arthas was not happy with his performance today." said Sylvanas. "I imagine he's making his counter-attack plans now. We must insure we never attack the same way twice, always keep him off-balance. And thankfully we get another night's sleep from this as well."

"A good night's sleep will work wonders." replied Vessy, looking to make sure nobody could hear her. "Let's make sure it _is_ a good night of sleep. I'll leave room in my bed."

As she walked away rolling her map Sylvanas knew the girl was still naive in certain matters and was truly being innocent in her invite. She actually just wanted the company so they would both find their comfort zones. For Sylvanas it was the company of a non-judgmental loved one and for Vessy it was the feeling of having someone to hold her at night. The ranger smiled at the girl's invitation and nodded her head in agreement but she knew that her desire to move this beyond platonic would have to be addressed, that she would have to explain her feelings to the girl and hope beyond hope that it didn't frighten her. That would be for another time she thought. For now, it was too soon after Nor's death and then there was this whole scourge army distraction.

Arthas knew that stopping for the night was giving the ranger units a feeling as if they had succeeded in damaging his army. He also knew that Sylvanas was far too clever to believe that but he would allow her army that pleasure. He would allow them the night to rest as well. It would all play into his nefarious plans for their next attack. After his general instructions and plans were laid out for the army in general he called for forty of his best death knights and laid out the plan to capture the Ranger-General and end this repeated distraction once and for all.

"On the next attack" he told his most trusted knight, "you will locate the Ranger-General and pursue her. Cut her away from her troops. Once she is separated half of you will turn back into any pursuit while the rest of you will keep after her. Don't try to take her right there! Instead drive her further away from help and then when you are quite isolated move in to stop her. _Do not kill her!_ I will be right behind you."

With evil grins the death knights left their master and prepared their horses. The leader was Captain Falric who had been a good friend of Arthas even before the start of the plague. The two had become friends while Arthas was still in paladin training and Falric was just a city guard. He followed Arthas into Stratholme for the culling, then into Northrend. It was in the frozen northlands that his life as a member of the human race ended and his new life as Arthas' most trusted death knight began. When the prince returned to Lordaeron it was Falric who guarded the door to the throne room while Arthas entered to relieve his father of his crown as well as his life. For his servitude both before and after he was promoted to Captain and became Arthas' right-hand man and Commander of the Death Knights of Acherus. Beyond all else, he was one of two death knights that Arthas trusted with important matters. The other was Marwyn, also elevated to the rank of captain and the only other friend of Arthas from before the scourge event. After the king was killed it was Marwyn and Falric who were charged with the task of killing the citizens of Capitol City and raising them to scourge with their new necrotic powers. Both would serve Arthas unquestioningly.

In Silvermoon Vesperis, Vash, and the rest of the family sat to dinner with their son for the first time in many months. The meal was surrounded in silence for the most part with the death of Nor still laying heavily on their minds. Veron had truly liked the man and was saddened by his untimely death. But the news of his hurried marriage to Valla was welcomed news to Vash although she scolded him for not letting them know it would happen.

"I didn't know myself!" he explained. "She just told me 'We're getting married tonight' and that was that. The next thing I knew I was telling a Priest of Elune that I would love her till I died and he was telling me we were wed."

The family all had a good laugh at Valla's "kidnapping" of Veron and wished she was still there to join in the family dinner. They laughed even harder as the strapping young man told them what Vessy did when she went before the king and his council. Vash rolled her eyes at her daughter's lack of protocol and apparently manners as well while Ves looked out the window at the night stars shining brightly as if the world were fine and no conflict existed. He wondered where his daughter was, if she was safe and if her heart was beginning to heal yet.

Vespias looked at the same stars as she finished her meal and walked slowly to her tent. She slipped inside and sat wearily on her bed and pulled her boots off. Her mind wandered as it did every night lately to thoughts of Nor. She spoke with him as if he were in the tent with her, telling him what had happened during the day, how she felt, and assuring him that she still loved him dearly. While Sylvanas and Bwemba had pulled her from her heartbroken torment she felt as if no man would ever take his place in her heart. Her thoughts turned to Sylvanas and, not quite naïve as the older woman thought, she added no woman to that as well. She was very fond of Sylvanas, there was no doubt about that and she did feel as if she loved her, it was a different love. Maybe not the same as she had for her sisters but also not the same as she had for Nor. Her feelings would often confuse her, especially feelings for other people. Her hand reached out and blithely stroked the rough fur on Kasi who took his customary spot on the floor next to her. Even her love for him was clear-cut. She loved Kasi the same way she loved her family…he _was_ family to her. But Sylvanas…that was a mystery to her.

Sylvanas was just as mystified about the young girl who waited for her in the next tent. Though she had known the girl since her birth, she didn't really know her. She knew that she was smart and very attractive. She knew that she was brave and that her heart would hold those she loved very close to her. And she knew that she had feelings for her but why? She knew it was not the superficial reason of her beauty, or at least she hoped it wasn't that. She also hoped it wasn't just because the girl accepted her for who she was. Both reasons were fine but neither was a good foundation for loving someone. No, the girl was a mystery to her as much as she was a mystery in return. She shook the thoughts from her head and waited in silence for the camp to close its eyes before she slipped into the girl's tent. It just wouldn't do for anyone to see this, to spread rumors that would hurt both women, especially since it was all still very innocent. Under the cover of darkness she crossed the few feet between tents and slipped between the flaps. Kasi lifted his head and seeing the ranger just grunted and lay back down. She had become an accepted person to him as well. She crawled into the bed and snuggled herself against the back of the girl who reached over and pulled the woman's arm over her and curled herself in even closer, a huge smile on her lips.

Just under ten miles south Arthas walked the edge of his camp. Somewhere in the darkness was his goal, the shimmering light of the Sunwell. Between him and that goal were two major distractions; the high elven rangers and then the walls of Silvermoon. He looked to the west and sneered as if he could see the boats sailing along the coast powered by the greedy Arathi pirates. They would await his signal and lay siege to the city from portside while he attacked the front. When the city was taken the ships would dock and his death knights would board, allowing the pirates to pillage the city as their reward while he went on to the Isle of Quel'Danas and the Sunwell. What the pirate crews didn't know was that Arthas would require more from them and was not about to bargain with the living any longer. Before they sailed from Silvermoon the crews would be a part of his forsaken army forever destined to be his watery deliverers. For now, they had no way of knowing that the seven ships that sailed were in any peril from either him or the defenses in Silvermoon. They had no way of knowing that three of Warchief Thrall's best galleons lurked in wait of them, more than ready to send them to the bottom of the channel. Had they known either fact they would have happily turned back and just kept the down payment that Arthas had delivered.

Once more as the pre-dawn sky changed to its violet colored drape Sylvanas woke and lifted her refreshed body from the bed. As she took her first step the young girl grabbed her hand.

"Don't go!" she said softly yet almost as a command. "Please. The mornings are so lonely for me."

"Just a few moment longer little one." Sylvanas said as she looked into the girl's mournful eyes. "Then I have to go before the camp wakes. I don't want our relationship known."

"What is our relationship Sylvanas?" asked the girl still holding onto the older woman's hand. "I wanted to talk to you about that. I want you to understand that even though I have these feelings for you, nobody can ever replace Nor in my heart."

"Oh Vessy" she replied quickly, "I don't want to replace Nor. Nobody can ever replace a lost loved one. All we can do is make your life easier to live, easier to look past the heartache. You have Nor, and he'll always be a part of you and I would never try to change that."

Vessy smiled sheepishly at the woman and softly kissed the hand she still held on to. Her eyes lifted and looked deep into Sylvanas' eyes and her next words startled the ranger.

"What's it like?" she asked innocently. "I mean, how you make love to another woman?"

Sylvanas looked at the young elf and lowered her lips to Vessy and the girl closed her eyes as their lips met. She parted her lips slightly and allowed her tongue to brush across the older elf's lips lightly and softly moaned. Sylvanas slid her tongue into Vessy's waiting mouth while her hand slid slowly down the girl's body and into her undergarments. Vessy undulated her hips to the woman's touch and Sylvanas let her fingers slide down and gently into the young girl. Vessy responded her approval by lifting her pelvis into the woman's fingers and gently biting her full lower lip.

"Not now little one." said Sylvanas, suddenly pulling away. "There is not enough time for me to show you properly. Tonight. I promise you I'll show you everything tonight."

She quickly gave the still breathless girl another kiss and then disappeared from the tent. Vessy began to dress herself and thought that Nor wouldn't mind this. She still had needs but with Sylvanas it wouldn't be the same as if she had gone to another man.

Chapter 40:

Rain On The Scarecrows

The morning sky was grey, a promise of rain in the air. Sylvanas looked up at the dismal sky and frowned. Ranger attacks depended on speed more than anything and mud was not only a slowing agent but also a slipping risk. She considered putting the attack off and just paralleling Arthas until the weather cooperated. The problem was they only had a limited time before he reached the city of Silvermoon. If she waited and the rains spread across three days he would be at the Elrendar River and only three more days from the city. They had to go, rain or not.

"Vespias ride with me a moment." the ranger said. "I hate the sky this morning but we have to go. We may need to alter strategies."

The younger ranger had already been thinking the same thing. Her idea was to remain a good distance off and attack with only long-range arrows and ride off almost immediately. Just keep these tactics going all day and night if necessary. Sylvanas weighed the idea and found it worthwhile to try. The main idea was to cause as much damage as possible without losing many people.

"All right, let's try it and see how it works." said Sylvanas. "You inform your company of the change. I'll handle mine. And one more thing. Hold these for me till we're into Silvermoon again ok?"

Sylvanas handed her several envelopes with her official seal on them. Vespias looked and noticed the ranger was not wearing her ring now. She nodded and galloped off to her company glancing down at the envelopes as she rode. She noticed one marked "Colonel Firstlight" that was larger than the others and bulkier. Another was marked only "Vespias" and the rest were for other people including her sisters and parents. Vessy knew what they were and her stomach knotted. She called her officers and explained the change in plans to them so they in turn could tell the men in their units. In less than ten minutes her troop was slowly riding south-east of Tranquillen while Sylvanas moved her company south-west. In less than an hour Arthas should be in the first planned attack vector.

Just a few miles south Arthas and his undead war machine had started to move once more. As his two opponents already surmised, his assessment of the weather matched theirs. He knew they would be greatly hobbled by rain and his cruel, lopsided grin shone through. He moved along the trail of destruction he was leaving at a good pace no longer concerned with anything the elven rangers had planned. On their first attack they appeared as if by some magical portal, cut down a good number of scourge and then disappeared once more.

"Captain Falric. Captain Marwyn." called Arthas. "Keep your eyes peeled on the attacking units. I don't think they will switch sides but locate Sylvanas during their next two attacks and make sure. On their third attempt fall out and continue with our plan. Pursue her and don't give up. She will be ours very soon and then her rangers will crumble."

The two death knights rode back to the unit they had ready for Arthas' plan and they fell in, their keen eyes scanning the roadside. Part of Arthas' plan was to have death knights and forsaken march and ride in the center of the column while scourge provided the flanking lines. The lich thought that if he had to lose any of his minions in this long march then it should be scourge over the more productive death knights and forsaken.

Vespias was happy with the results of her first attack but also confused. Arthas didn't even try to defend himself or even return fire. She allowed herself to think it was just the quickness of their execution that took him by surprise but she would keep a careful watch on the next try. As they had planned she moved one mile ahead and lurked in the protection of the forest waiting for the undead caravan to pass once more. On the opposite side of the road Sylvanas was also waiting in the shadows but preoccupied with the feeling a dread she still carried. She snapped out of it as the caravan passed by them again and once more the rangers burst from cover and killed a great many scourge before disappearing back into the hills while on their right flank Vespias performed a similar attack. The only difference was that she remained in the open, defiant to the point of almost demanding Arthas do something about her. Eventually she returned to the protection of the woodlands and made her way to the next attack position. She quickly scribbled a note and sent it by rider to General Windrunner with instructions to meet at a predetermined location after the next attack.

Arthas had seen the young elven colonel on his right flank and halted his troops for just a moment while he shifted his plans to accommodate her. When the rangers attacked again his archers would return fire from the center of the column using the scourge as shields. He cursed at himself for not realizing that no response might trigger suspicions and then he wondered who this wisp of a girl could be, if she was the farm girl who had been such a minor thorn in his side. He ordered the archers on that flank to target her. Best to get her out of the way quickly he thought, before she mucks up the whole plan.

Moments before Arthas moved into the third attack zone the messenger delivered the note from Vessy to Sylvanas with a crisp salute. Her eyes grew wider as she read the note;

_Sylvanas,_

_Something is quite wrong here. Arthas makes no attempt to defend himself. I'm afraid he has something planned. Meet us ahead at the crossroad to Goldenmist Village._

_ Vespias_

She had been so wrapped up in her feelings that she failed to notice the strange behavior. She instructed the messenger to return and let Colonel Firstlight know they would be there. She then cleared her mind of all other thoughts and prepared her company to once more fire upon the undead caravan moving ever closer to Silvermoon City. With a keen military eye Sylvanas watched as the assault began. Once more like some angry spirits they appeared stepping from the shadows. The elven archers rode to range and lifted their bows high and shot. A cascade of arrows fell at the ranks of scourge and then their own volley followed. But within the column she saw a death knight point her out to another.

The ranger company melted into the tree line once more and rode towards the road that led to Goldenmist Village. The sight of the death knight's interest in her specifically unnerved her a bit and she resolved to change her cloak into her personal one that had no marks of rank. Perhaps they were just targeting officers. She would have all of her officers do the same and hide their rank. They had a short wait once they arrived and she spread the word to her officers and instructed them to do the same to B Company when they arrived. Vespias emerged from the forest's protection and rode towards the other ranger company and then hurried both back into the woods. She hated being out in the open especially with the enemy so close. Sylvanas told the younger officer what she had seen and Vessy agreed they were targeting officers more than likely. If that were the case it would explain the passive approach Arthas was taking and why no return attack had come. They also took into account that since it still hadn't rained they would return to their original plan and strafe the column hard on the next pass. Sylvanas made a mental note to fire on the groups of death knights near the front of the column. If they indeed wanted her, then by the grace of Elune they would have her. None would be happy in gaining their target…she would insure that.

The undead caravan moved towards the crossroads. Arthas thought to send a squadron into the village there to insure no elves had remained behind but decided against it. With the ranger units so close he knew they would never make it there and he didn't want to lose any forsaken unnecessarily. There would be time after they took the Sunwell to come back and claim every spec of this land for his scourge. Already behind him the cavernous crater left by his army was spreading blight into the surrounding lands. Vast fields of crops withered and died leaving the scarecrows to guard little more than dirt and blood. They stood as silent sentinels, silent witnesses to the destruction of not only land but life itself. By the time they reached Silvermoon a very large part of Quel'Thalas would remain dark and lifeless save for scavenging beasts.

The frenzied screams and hollers of the attacking rangers as they sped along the flanks of the scourge caravan snapped Arthas from his musings. He turned to see the rangers riding hard down both sides, much closer than the previous attacks and hitting the more vital targets in the center of the caravan and largely ignoring the scourge guard. Sylvanas had ordered that when she saw the composition of the army. She knew the more important members were inside and the mindless, shambling undead were merely shields. Her two companies were doing their job well and the center seemed to be in complete disarray as she rode past and began leading her unit away from the caravan. They had run along it for just under a mile and done considerable damage to the workings of the undead and she was satisfied. Now it was a fast ride to a spot just five miles north to quickly lay out the next attack zone. As long as the skies cooperated she would order these strikes again and again until Arthas halted this juggernaut of destruction and stood his ground.

Just as the elven general turned her troops towards the trees a group of death knights rode out after her, their undead horses carried along on untiring legs and in full pursuit. Her own unit fired on them and they moved to a safer distance but still paralleled the rangers. This would never do thought Sylvanas. She decided she would lead them far enough away from the caravan and then turn on them and kill them all. As if they read her mind they quickly looped back and fell into the protective column. One of them rode to Arthas, she could see that but she couldn't see the fiend's face or expressions.

That would have spoken volumes to her and she sent her troop ahead and tried to fall slightly behind to get a clearer idea of what the pair spoke about. She didn't notice her company getting ahead of her too quickly and when she rejoined them she was almost at the rear of the unit. Once more the death knights peeled away and raced after her. They split their group and one tried to race ahead to cut off the stragglers that surrounded her while the other group ran directly towards her. She knew her best bet was to just keep riding towards the meeting place and hope she got there ahead of the death that ran at her now, nipping at her heels. Her company was moving fast as they had been taught to do and she cursed herself for allowing her curiosity to let her lag so far behind.

Oblivious to what was happening less than a mile away Vespias ran her company towards the field they had laid out as their rendezvous spot. She carried a smile now, satisfied that they had done some damage this time and eager to see what Sylvanas would order for their next attack. Vessy loved the calculating mind her commander had, how she always seemed to know exactly what trick to pull out of her hat next. As she rode across the open field from the forest she noticed commotion in the other company as if there were attackers right in the middle of them.

One of the officers ran towards her as she approached and Vessy could see a pained look in the man's face.

"Colonel Firstlight!" he yelled frantically, not even waiting for her to get closer. "General Windrunner has gone missing! She wasn't with the company when we arrived!"

Vespias calmed the elf down and from him and several others she found out that besides Sylvanas roughly twenty five other rangers had not reported in. She also found out that the death knights had charged them and then fallen back. That was the last anybody could remember Sylvanas being with them. The last they saw was her slowing down and looking at Arthas.

Chapter 41:

The Second Payment

Vespias called to the officers and gave them all instructions and placed leaders in charge of both companies. Their new orders were to ride as far as the crossroads to Suncrown Village and then set up the attack patterns they had started the day with. She then motioned for twenty of her best trackers from her militia to stay with her.

"Rangers of Quel'Thalas!" she said as she mounted her horse. "You have your orders! Understand that you cannot halt Arthas in his route towards Silvermoon. Your job is to cut into his army as often as you can. You have watched General Windrunner's plan in effect and I feel confident you can copy it and carry it out. I will go look for her now while you follow her orders. Keep moving north, cross the river and set ambushes along the way. Once you reach the East Sanctum abandon your posts and get into the city and alert King Anasterian that Arthas approaches. If Elune wills it then General Windrunner and I will meet you there. Be resolute in your attacks! Remain strong and united!"

She quickly scribbled another note and placed it in an envelope before calling Lieutenant Helios to her side and handed him the parcel of envelopes along with the one she held. She took the time to take out the two that were marked for her and stuffed them in her saddlebags.

"There are two things Lieutenant" she said calmly. "First is to see to it that those letters are delivered in the event the General and I are not at the city. The second is that in recognition of your devotion to the rangers and to the people of this great country I promote you to the rank of Captain. Go take your place with your soldiers and lead them wisely."

The new captain looked up at Vespias with a half-smile, the best he could give her at this point. He reached up and grasped her hand and squeezed it gently before turning away. He heard her riding away behind him as he gathered the envelopes in a stack and bound them with some string he had and then slipped them into his bags.

"Elune watch over you." he said softly as he mounted. "I hope I see you at the city."

The ranger troop turned north and trotted from the field towards the crossroads of Suncrown, a good two hour ride away. Vespias wanted them to have a good amount of time to prepare and insure they would not suffer any great losses. Above her the skies finally opened and a soft, warm rain began to fall. It was just enough to be uncomfortable but thankfully not enough to wash the tracks away.

Just south Sylvanas had seen that she was now cut off and rallied the small unit around her and they quickly changed direction and rode east, aiming for the mountains behind Tranquillen. She hoped the trolls had moved out but at this point she would rather face them than the grim visages of death that chased after her now. They were relentless and Sylvanas was quite sure they could not be intimidated or chased off like trolls.

Once she passed the village Sylvanas turned north towards the areas where the trolls had created paths down from the mountain. As soon as she could get into the hills she would be much happier. She knew the twisting maze better than the death knights and she also knew of several hiding places where they could find rest. But first she had to make it there. Behind her the death knights rode hard, Captain Falric pushing them to close the ground between themselves and their quarry. He knew she was trying to get to the mountains and he could not allow that to happen. But already the ranger's horses tired, white foam flecking the plants and rocks along the trail they took. It was just a matter of time before their undead and untiring horses caught up to them.

Vespias picked up the trail easily and she could see that Sylvanas abruptly turned east. The problem now was that Arthas' caravan was now due east so she would have to ride back north and go around them and hope to pick the trail up again. She looked east at the purple hued mountains in the distance and knew that's where her general and friend was heading. She quickly remounted and spurred her horse back along the trail she had just followed and far to the front of the approaching death machine that Arthas piloted. This detour would cost her at least forty minutes, precious time that could spell life or death for Sylvanas. She decided to gamble and race directly for the paths into the mountains, after all, that _had_ to be where the older elf was heading. It's the way she would choose and she and Sylvanas thought alike in matters of strategy.

Further north the ranger army had reached their designated spot and planned their attack location. The top ranking ranger, a Lieutenant-Colonel named Jero'Me decided to change the standard attack by placing a third line that would stand in the path of Arthas and halt him. The other officers told him their concerns but he was not about to let his command be questioned. As the three units took their places. Captain Helios moved inconspicuously towards the rear of the center unit. Jero'Me was an idiot as far as he was concerned and he had a very bad feeling about this. Had he seen the rather large group of trolls who gathered in the low hills just east of the location where the attacking flank would gather he would be even more worried. The trolls had been keeping a low profile since their defeat at the hands of the Orcs and while they had no love for any invader into their lands, they knew what Arthas wanted and that he would leave when he got it. Then the lands would belong to them once more. They waited for the elven rangers to take their positions before moving quietly into arrow range.

Less than three miles south of them Sylvanas hit the ground hard after her horse collapsed under her. The beast heaved it's overworked heart for a few more beats before they ended for good. Her rangers quickly dismounted to protect her and they formed a semi-circle with the mountains to their backs and prepared for the first of the death knights to reach them. The crazed attackers rode in hard on them, ignoring their arrows and leapt into their ranks as their horses crashed into them. Elven swords replaced the trusted bows and flashed briefly in a spot of sun that peeked through the clouds for a moment. The rangers fought bravely and cut a good number of the death knights down but their attackers were too strong and too many. Captain Falric fought his way towards Sylvanas, his gap-toothed smile sending chills along her spine. She turned her sword towards him and he countered with the much heavier broadsword they used and broke the ranger's sword just under the hilt. The last thing she saw was his sword lifting towards her head and the flat of the heavy iron closing her eyes.

Captain Falric looked down on the ranger, unconscious but alive and ordered her chained. He sent a rider to inform Arthas of the prize and then made sure there were no other elven survivors to his attack. Besides Sylvanas the scourge was not interested in survivors as the dead would serve them just as well. Even as he walked through the bodies Marwyn was already resurrecting them as forsaken and sending them back to Arthas. Falric slaughtered the horses so they could be sent along as well. The rescue unit commanded by Vespias still raced to get ahead of Arthas so they could cross his path towards the hills. She prayed to Elune that she would be in time and in the back of her mind she could hear Bwemba speaking the prophecy. She had already lost Nor…wasn't that enough of a payment? Elune wouldn't let Sylvanas be hurt as well, she just couldn't. Vespias was a loyal follower. The Goddess had to answer her prayers.

Her heart would break if she could see what was happening to Sylvanas. The death knights had torn her armor from her leaving rough scratches and bruises on her. She was chained at her wrists held up by two saplings, stripped to her waist. Her cheek was swollen and severely bruised, most likely broken and some of her teeth were missing on the same side. Blood had congealed and began to dry in a long streak down the side of her face from where the blade had not cut so much as split the skin above her eye. She was still groggy as she tried hard to lift her head and see what was going on around her but it took all her effort to keep her knees from buckling under her. She saw the knights suddenly stand straight and she could hear one speak.

"The ranger is captured as you commanded my Lord." Captain Falric said. "She's a little worse for wear but alive for your pleasure."

"Excellent Captain." replied the lich in an evil hiss. "Now we shall see how strong she really is. You may take your men and return to the caravan. I am in no danger here."

Sylvanas lifted her head as Arthas approached her, roughly lifting her face and looking over her wounds. He let a vicious chuckle out as he saw her wince in pain from his rough grip.

"So you are the famous General Windrunner" he said as he turned from her and took a seat on a stump. "The fly in my ointment for the last few months. The torment of my men on this march. You designed that trap in the pass to waste even more of my precious time. And for what? I am still on my way to Silvermoon except now I have a new weapon. Now I have something to strike fear in all the other elves and cause them to despair even further. You will lead my armies into Silvermoon now."

He moved back towards her, roughly pawing at her breasts, leaving them as bruised as the rest of her body was. He leaned in close to her face.

"I may even allow you to service me if you behave." he laughed. "How would you like that oh mighty General of Silvermoon?"

Sylvanas summoned all the strength left in her body and defiantly spit in his face. He pulled his hand back and slapped her hard and she felt the world spinning out from under her once more. As the light from the sky died out her last words were "Vespias…no" and then darkness claimed her.

Vespias rode into the clearing, her sword drawn and on a level line for Arthas' neck. The lich ducked just in time to avoid decapitation and swung Frostmourn cutting the horse out from under the girl. She deftly rolled in her fall and managed to end on her feet and turn to meet Arthas' charge. Behind her the remnants of her militia were being cut down by the charging death knights who had seen their approach. Arthas swung his sword hard and the impact threw the young girl to the ground. Before she could rise Arthas had her gripped tight by the throat, lifting her off the ground, her dangling feet kicking to find a foothold somewhere.

"Let her go" said Sylvanas, just barely conscious, "and I'll do whatever you command of me."

"You do what I command anyway." laughed Arthas. "And now, so will she. But first she will watch what your fate is so hers will be all the more terrible."

He tossed Vespias like a rag doll to one of his death knights and approached Sylvanas. With a quick motion he thrust Frostmourn into the woman so violently it protruded from her back. Vespias screamed as the body of her general slumped forward. Arthas turned his sword once more and all life escaped Sylvanas right then. Behind him Vespias screamed and tore at her captor to try to escape, to hold Sylvanas once more and let her know she was loved. As she watched in horror Arthas tore the very soul from the elf and infused it with the power from his sword bringing the corporeal yet twisted form of Sylvanas to life.

"Behold your new leader!" said Arthas triumphantly. "Lady Sylvanas Windrunner, the Banshee Queen! And you will be her first minion!"

As he stepped towards Vespias ready to do the same a sudden flash of light blinded the lich and all the other death knights around him. When his sight returned he saw Vespias riding the back of a very large tiger with her lion running alongside. The knight who was holding her was decapitated with massive claw rakes across his body. Behind him a sudden rush of wings caused him to spin just in time to see two large bat-like creatures carrying the body of Sylvanas away. The Banshee was still there but he wanted her body as well.

"It doesn't matter." he said softly. "You'll make them pay for this won't you my dear?"

Chapter 42:

Letters

Vespias held on to Bwemba tightly as the druid moved fluidly in her tiger form over the rocks and up into the mountains. She buried her face into the soft fur on the druid and cried like a baby. This was too soon! She wasn't over Nor yet and now had to deal with another lost love. Yes, there… it was said. She loved Sylvanas too.

"Hold on tight little sister." purred Bwemba. "We gonna be takin' a few jumps here. We be goin' somewhere you know an' everyting gonna be alright."

Vessy didn't care where they were going. She was tired of the war and the blood and the death. She just wanted to get her family and go far away where nobody knew about Arthas and the scourge and nobody cared. She wondered if such a place existed. She even wondered about taking a boat and going to look for the fabled Pandaria. She quickly came back to the present once she decided that Arthas' treachery would find and ruin every decent place in the world unless someone killed him. Unless she killed him. She swore to herself that if it took the rest of her life she would kill Arthas.

After what seemed like an eternity of jumping from rock to rock Bwemba finally reached the small plateau she was climbing to. Vespias knew where they were immediately.

"Bwemba" she said slowly. "There's a path that leads here right over there."

The druid looked and nodded her head and then looked back at Vessy and still in her tiger form turned her head to the side.

"Dat be true" she said plainly, "but if Arthas gonna track me den he gonna have to track me up da cliff side and dat be harder den trackin' me on da trail."

Vessy entered the cave, damp from the rains and watched as Bwemba's druids took the body of Sylvanas in and cleaned the dirt away and began to cover her body in some type of writing. Vespias watched with both horror at the beating her friend had taken and puzzlement of the service being performed. Bwemba explained that they were insuring that her body would remain as it is now and that the great Loa would bring her to her body when the time came and she was free.

"You mean she'll be alive again?" Vespias asked incredulously. "Once she gets her body back she'll be alive?"

Bwemba explained it wasn't the way it worked. Nobody can ever escape death, but in Sylvanas' case, she would be able to put her loa back into her body and not be the horrific banshee that Arthas had turned her into. Vessy noted how confidant Bwemba was about Sylvanas needing her body again as if she could see into the future. She would ask about that later…for now she wanted to know what happened on the field and why the trolls were not with the rangers.

Bwemba related how Lt.-Colonel Jero'Me changed the attack plans and how she saw this as just short of suicide. She silently moved her troll unit away from the front lines and waited to see what would happen. She then told the girl about the Amani ambush, how a good number of rangers found nothing but death. Jero'Me saw his flank destroyed and panicked and called for a retreat. The rest of the unit couldn't understand what was going on but they tried to follow orders and got caught by the advance of the scourge as they tried to regroup.

"An' den I seen da knights attackin' your people" she continued, "an' I knew you be needin' old Bwemba's help so I come runnin'. An' just in time too!"

Vessy listened to the story seemingly without emotion. Her eyes wandered to the back of the cave and the spot she knew her beloved Nor was in and then to the spot she knew Sylvanas would lay in and she wondered if Bwemba indeed was just in time.

"If the Amani are active we're not safe here." she said bluntly. "We have to leave before they find this place and destroy it."

"No problems dere Vessy" cackled Bwemba. "Me trolls took care of dem. Dey not gonna be a problem to anybody no more! You just get some rest now an' leave everyting to old Bwemba."

Reluctantly Vespias let her body drift off into a fitful sleep. She replayed the attack on Nor first and then Sylvanas and whimpered in her sleep. She didn't know where her parents and sisters were, if they were alive or butchered by scourge or trolls, she wondered how many of her friends lived in the bungled attack below or in her own attack. Her life had become a swirling catastrophe where she was slowly being drained of emotions, void of caring and afraid to love again. She sat up, still half asleep and knew that was the answer. If she never fell in love again then she would never have to lose again. All she had to worry about then would be her family and the very few friends she had that still lived. She looked up and saw Sylvanas had been wrapped in white linen and the druids were casting spells of protection on her and on the cave as well while two others were clearing the space where they would lay her body for the final rest. She looked at the fading sunlight outside the cave wondering how long she had been asleep and where Bwemba had gone.

Her rangers down below had suffered insurmountable losses and were heading for Silvermoon. Captain Helios had turned for the city at the first sign of the trouble he knew was coming and was a good three hours ahead of the troop. He would insure that the Colonel's papers would reach their destinations and that Jero'Me's incompetence would be made public. He decided to ride through the night and put as much distance between him and the scourge army as possible. He too was more afraid of resting and the myriad questions that would haunt him all night. For now he just wondered where Vespias and Sylvanas were and if they were alright. Ahead of him in the city, Vash had been gripped earlier in the day with a feeling of dread and she lay next to her husband and wondered the same things. Was her daughter alright? What had happened to cause such a feeling inside her, like the cold fingers of death had grabbed her by the throat. She wondered why all of this madness had to come to _their_ world, to disrupt _their_ lives. Why was Elune so heartless towards them?

The group in the cave finished their ritual and laid Sylvanas to rest in the same fashion as Nor and Vespias whispered her goodbye to them both, her tears falling on both graves. Behind her Bwemba entered the cave carrying Vessy's saddlebags as well as any other personal belongings she could find in the area. She lit a druidic fire in the cave that warmed not only her body thought Vessy, but her very soul as well. Bwemba reported that the scourge had given up looking for them and that they had stopped advancing for the night. She also flew past the ragtag groups of rangers who had become roving bands trying to survive instead of a proper retreating army. She saw the anger in Vessy's eyes when she told her this and thought it to be a good sign. As terrible as it was, the child was beginning to accept death all around her. She held out the bags to the girl who took them and set them down without opening them.

"Like it or not" said Bwemba, "you got orders in da bags dat need lookin' after."

Reluctantly Vessy lifted the flaps of her bags and removed the contents. Bwemba was right, and even if Vespias hated that fact, the girl had to follow her orders. She lifted the letter marked "Colonel Firstlight" and broke the seal.

_Colonel Firstlight,_

_Since you are reading this, chances are that I've fallen in battle. It is my final order that you are hereby promoted to the rank of Ranger-General of Silvermoon. This is a field rank and will need the approval of King Anasterian to be made permanently. I've also sent a letter ahead to him recommending he do so. With this new rank you are now responsible for the combined Elven armies, both the Farstrider Rangers and the Silvermoon Guard. You answer to King Anasterian only. _

_You have been given a great power this day General Firstlight. It has been given to you because you are the only person in my command that is worthy of it. Enclosed is the ring that bears the mark of this command along with recommendations and other notes concerning the ranger unit we have fielded. My best wishes go with you._

_ Sylvanas Windrunner_

_ Ranger-General of Silvermoon_

Vessy lifted the ring from the envelope as well as the insignias of rank and smiled. Sylvanas trusted her to see this through and she would not let her down. She slipped the ring onto her finger and studied it for a moment. It was a golden ring that held a flat, circular design on a pedestal base. On the sides of the gently sloping pedestal were small, detailed pictures of Silvermoon engraved while the seal itself was a bow with three arrows crossing it. As Sylvanas had once explained, the first arrow was for Elune, the second arrow for Silvermoon, and the final arrow for honor. For Goddess, Country, and Self… the only three things that really mattered in life. She turned and looked at her friend's final space and vowed to have a fourth arrow added to the seal. The fourth arrow would symbolize camaraderie, the bond between soldiers. Not as personal as the bond they had shared but just as important. She attached the insignias of rank to her armor and settled down to read Sylvanas' notes.

Below their position the scourge army had come to a stop. In a quickly constructed small box of a room a single candle flickered on a table surrounded by Arthas, Sylvanas, and Captains Falric and Marwyn. They studied a map and planned their attack on Silvermoon. The ranger army had been scattered and were no longer a threat. Sylvanas would lead the attack into the city since she knew it better than anyone. Falric and Marwyn would engage the outside forces with their death knights. Sylvanas was explaining the way the city defenses worked. Her mind tried so hard to stop yet she had no will of her own. She hated that Arthas was using her to kill her own people and she swore she would find a way to make him pay. Still, for now she had no choice but to do as the lich commanded. After the plans had been gone over and set Arthas sent Falric and Marwyn away and turned his attentions to Sylvanas. His dominance over her was strong and now he would add one more act to her final humiliation and complete his "ownership" of her.

Even as the banshee lay in her final humiliation her former Colonel was receiving reports from Bwemba as to the condition of her army and the location of the Amani. She fell into her new role as general quickly and efficiently and prepared her agenda for the following day. She would strike out towards Silvermoon. She knew a few shortcuts that should allow her to catch up to her scattered forces and bring them into Silvermoon as an army and not as batches of fleeing, defeated soldiers. She also vowed to bust Jero'Me down to private but only after she beat him to within an inch of his life so she would not be accused of striking an enlisted man. After all her plans were in order she lifted the small envelope marked "Vespias" and removed the note inside.

_My Dearest Vespias,_

_As my time has gone here I want you to know some things. I was never accepted by my parents and sisters for what I was while you accepted that with no problem. For this I thank you from the bottom of my heart. The second thing I want you to know is that I fell in love with you and after long hours of reflection I could never pinpoint why. Then I realized there was no one reason, but a combination of reasons; your beauty, your caring ways, your passion for being honest, and your ability to be non-judgmental in your views of people. Simply put, you are the person I would like to be, who everybody should strive to be._

_Thank you for being close to me and for showing me all the sides of your character. Thank you for being so open and honest with me, and most importantly, thank you for being my friend and perhaps the only true love my heart has ever known._

_ All my love forever,_

_ Sylvanas_

As she set the letter back in her envelope she wiped the tear away that had slipped from her eye. Sylvanas had been so much more to her than just a friend but even in death she was as discrete as she could be. The girl put the letter into a pocket in her undergarment and patted it hoping to get some sleep before the next adventure began.

Chapter 43:

The Dead Scar

The night sky filled with stars as the clouds drifted away. Above the sleeping general and her army wisps of color ran through the stratosphere as if Elune herself wove some magic spell of healing on the girl below her. Her short life had been filled with love and death, triumph and failure, and loves found and loves lost in much too quick a time. She was forced to become something she never wanted to be and ahead of her lay an even harder road. Arthas wanted every elf wiped from the planet, either dead in the ground or worse, dead in his army. His war machine rumbled along and destroyed everything it passed, her once beautiful home now a dark, dank place filled with spiders and bats that found life by eating scraps of the dead. Foul magics permeated the hills and hollows destroying the grasslands and withering the trees. The water became undrinkable and the villages became places for the ghosts of those who once lived and loved there to wander.

Terrors from the city of the dead found their way beyond its walls and into the countryside adding to the menacing quality the woods took on. More construction began in the form of a pair of Ziggurats or temples that straddled the road that lead to Windrunner Village as well as the trough of destruction the scourge army had left. The trench that ran from the city almost to the Elrendar River now, fully one hundred or more yards wide and consisting of nothing that held life. Not one blade of grass grew there now and ground that held no promise of ever allowing life to grown on it again. As more and more of the foul spirits were created within Deatholme they moved along this path as if following a beacon that would bring them to Silvermoon itself. The apothecaries in the city made two more of the horrible constructs and named them Knucklerot and Luzran and set them to patrol this new "dead scar" and the ziggurats. The beasts roamed the area constantly and killed anything that crossed their paths. Truly the forests of Quel'Thalas were no more, replaced by the dead "ghostlands" that Arthas hoped to extend all the way through Quel'Danas and beyond. In his perfect world all of Azeroth would look like this.

Far to the north of Deatholme a new dawn was rising for General Firstlight. She sent four of Bwemba's druids to find the scattered remnants of her army and send them to Farstrider Forest Facility, another training area for the rangers who would be the guardians of the forests of Quel'Thalas. She wanted them to meet her there and to be reminded of who they were and what they trained so hard to become. She would remold them back into an army there and then lead them into the city. She set out down the trail towards her home, Kasi running ahead of her as both an advance scout and an excited kitten unaware of the destruction that awaited them below. Vessy turned a boulder and saw Kasi sitting there, his head hung low. Beyond him she saw the smoke still rising from the burned home and barn that smoldered. The Amani had never forgotten the child that was born here, the promise of her sacrifice to raise them back to their former glory, and the humiliation of their defeat in trying to claim her. They burned everything out to erase their memories of this and in turn erased all of the good life the girl had ever known. She turned her sad eyes towards Silvermoon and set out.

The druids found many of the surviving rangers right away and directed them as their new general had ordered. They were happy she had lived and were eager to be under her command now. They walked a bit faster now and even looked more like soldiers rather than refugees with bowed heads and hunched shoulders. The druids also found the dragonhawk riders and directed them to go to the last site Vessy was to pick her up and bring her to the Farstrider training area. Other druids rounded up their own army and directed them as well and the last druid flew high above the scourge war machine and observed their march and direction. They had crossed the Elrendar River and made a sharp right and then left and were in a direct line towards the gates of Silvermoon City now. In three days' time the city would be under siege.

In the city's harbor the Orc galleons spotted the Arathi pirates in the first lights of the dawn. The commander of the ships, Admiral Kurgul ordered an immediate attack and the big guns on his ship sounded, their heavy iron cannon balls crashing into the hull of the first ship. Smoke and flames rose quickly followed by an explosion as the flames hit the ammunition stored on the ship. Within minutes the Orcs had sent one of the ships to the bottom of the channel and their ferocity turned to the others. The Arathi pirates, surprised at the galleons waiting for them returned fire but not with the same deadly accuracy as the Orcs and several minutes later the frenzied screams of "abandon ship" echoed across the channel as the second ship listed. The cannons on the city walls joined in and began to send even more deadly iron at the pirates who turned and made a run for the open sea.

Cheers lifted from the city as the ships sailed out of range and the three Orc galleons sped off in pursuit. There was the city's first victory in the war against Arthas with the high expectations of yet more to come. King Anasterian smiled as he walked down the steps from the parapet towards his horse. The people cheered their king who graciously waved and smiled as if he were some returning hero who had just vanquished every evil on Azeroth. Ves watched the spectacle and understood now why his daughter took such a drastic stand with him. The man was a pompous ass and if the city guard didn't realize this they were in for serious trouble. He walked briskly towards Veron's post to make sure his son understood that very fact.

High above the forests of Quel'Thalas Vespias clung to a dragonhawk, her hair flapping in the wind and she squinted as she looked down trying to find a landmark. This was only her second ride on the creatures and the first had only gone about sixty feet into the air and landed on the balcony of the royal quarters in Silvermoon. This one was currently about two hundred and fifty feet off the ground and flying briskly towards the Farstrider training grounds. She looked down as she neared the area at the road below and saw Captain Helios riding hard towards the city and she smiled for competent soldiers who understood how to follow orders. The dragonhawk lurched to the east and shot down quickly into an opening in the tree tops and cruised through the upper canopy, finally landing within the walls of the training facility. The few shocked soldiers there snapped to attention at the sight of the girl climbing down from the dragonhawk and remained so as she passed them.

"Who is in charge here ranger?" she asked after briskly stopping at one of the cadets.

"Sergeant Dawnrunner Sir…err Ma'am!" replied the nervous recruit. "She's in the stables."

Vespias walked at a quick pace to the stables and entered to find a young girl baling the stalls while muttering and cursing under her breath about "stupid recruits who were more of _being_ the horse's ass instead of _riding_ on it". The girl was so involved in her work she never even looked up at who entered.

"I don't want to hear any more of your shit." she spat out to whoever was standing there. "Stop acting like babies and figure your problems out yourself."

Vespias smiled to herself at the feisty attitude of the girl despite her pressing needs. She almost felt bad to have to put more work on the girl. Just as she was about to say something the sergeant spun around to confront her.

"Listen shithead! I just said I don't…." The girl sputtered the last few syllables out as she saw not just an officer but the Ranger-General there. She instantly snapped to attention, lifting a gloved hand to her brow.

"At ease Dawnrunner" said Vessy as she side-stepped a pile of horse manure. "I have a new project for you to get to work on."

Vessy outlined the problem and the fact that an unknown number of rangers fresh from battle were heading this way. She wanted them fed and the wounded cared for. She wanted places for them to rest and she wanted not only her troops but every ranger stationed at the facility ready to move at one hour past dawn tomorrow. After insuring the young girl understood her orders Vespias dismissed her and set about looking the stable over. She found a board and some paint as well as nails and a hammer and set to work. Ten minutes later she walked out to the road where the sign stood that said "Farstrider Forest Training Facility" and nailed her new sign right over it. After she returned to the stable with Bwemba to plan a route Sergeant Dawnrunner went to look at her handiwork. A grin splashed across the girls face as she read the sign;

**Farstriders Retreat**

**No Undead Allowed! Fuck You Arthas!**

**By Order of the Ranger-General**

**Vespias Firstlight**

"Well that should certainly piss off this Arthas person" she thought as she walked away from it. "I just wonder how much though."

The feisty sergeant went about making sure the incoming soldiers had all the comforts of home. That is, if one lived in a small facility that stunk of horses and was manned by lazy, incompetents that didn't know their asses from their elbows. She ordered the others to get areas ready and sent the cooks into the kitchen with orders to "just cook until I tell you to stop!" She wasn't sure how bad the incoming soldiers would be but she was going to do her part to help them as much as she could.

Arthas advanced steadily now, the scar in the forest winding across the river and heading for the gates of Silvermoon. At his side was a very sullen Sylvanas. She hated him more than ever but had no choice than to obey his every word. But even as she rode she could feel the hold on her lessen ever so slightly. She thought it was her will power but the fact was, it had nothing to do with her and everything to do with actions taking place in the far off frozen lands of Northrend. The rapidly weakening Lich King Ner'zhul would lose more and more control in the months to come and Sylvanas would be there waiting. For now, she thought it better to keep what she felt to herself. The scourge war machine had pushed well past the Elrendar River and approached the Runestones that formed the Elfgate, the first defense of Silvermoon. Arthas produced three moonstones that the traitor Dar'Khan had procured for him and easily neutralized the potent magic.

As he moved his massive army inside the area past the deactivated and worthless Runestones he allowed a cruel smile towards Sylvanas. He was happy she could see his power in getting past the stones with no problem at all. He knew she still held her anger and he could have taken it away but wanted her to suffer even more. He also knew that no matter how much she hated what she was being forced to do she could do nothing to stop it. When they reached the city he would command her to do things that would torture her through all eternity. That was his punishment to her for all the trouble she had been to him. He halted his advance once the last piece of siege equipment was past the stones. Once everything had been secured and his tent set he once more called Sylvanas in and made her do unspeakable things that would also torture her for eternity.

About four hours north the last stragglers of the once proud ranger units settled in to their spaces in Farstrider Retreat. Vespias scoured the men and women's faces looking for Jero'Me and thankfully could not find him. She was disappointed but knew that she might be labeled as his killer so she was grateful he had not made it.

Chapter 44:

Siege!

As she had ordered, the rag-tag remnants of her army were up and mounted at one hour past the sun's rising. Vespias looked at them and wondered if perhaps they were being loyal and good soldiers for her or if they just wanted to get into the secure, loving hands of Silvermoon and its very high alabaster walls. Had they seen what she saw they would have known that the walls were not as secure as they thought. Certainly Sylvanas knew they would tumble quickly…after all, Arthas had procured himself a traitor. There could be no doubt that the city would crumble before the weight of the scourge and that Silvermoon would fall. Beyond that, Quel'Danas would fall, the Sunwell would fall, and like dominoes the entire world of Azeroth would fall.

One of her Captains handed Vessy a list. She looked at it and noted that she now had in her command two hundred and forty-nine rangers, far fewer than she had twenty-four hours ago. Bwemba added another two hundred and thirty-six of her trolls which left Vessy with less than five hundred troops. She guessed the numbers didn't really matter now since they would be entering Silvermoon in a few hours. She silently cursed Jero'Me again and searched for his name on the list of dead. She didn't see it and wondered where the bungler had run off to. She made up her mind that he would be her target after Arthas and she would find him and bring him back to military justice for his crimes. She suddenly wondered how far off Vol'Jin was. He promised to return before it got out of hand and yet, as sure as the sun would rise it was about to get out of hand rapidly. A quick glance at the sky told the ranger that no rain would impede either her archers or Arthas'.

"Rangers!" Vespias shouted as she mounted her horse. "We ride for the Shepherd's Gate this morning! There is no shame in your performance. In fact, quite the opposite. You have performed far above and beyond what could have been asked of any unit. Do not hang your heads! Let Silvermoon know that her sons and daughters fought hard and fought bravely against an enemy that was ten times its size. Let them know that in unity there is strength and that we will defeat the enemy once and for all as they crash into the walls of our home!"

Amid the cheers and whistles Vespias issued her order to move out and led her army towards the safety of Silvermoon at a trot. Above her the dragonhawk riders flew on towards the city to let them have the gates ready. Inside the city Captain Helios had already delivered the satchel of envelopes to the king and found a small bit of peace and rest in a jug of wine and a cart filled with straw that was parked against a wall within the Farstrider Pavilion and very close to the tunnel stairs. Veron had been looking for him to find out about the fate of his sister and finally found the ranger already fast asleep. He knew all too well the rigors of extending one's duty to the point of collapse and thought it better to let the man sleep. After all, what value could he be to Vessy now? If she was alive he couldn't go get her and if she were already dead…is she had died he couldn't bring her back to life. He turned to look into his father's eyes knowing the man had the same questions as he did and the sadness in them told him he found the same answers.

Arthas pushed his war machine now. There would be no stopping, no rest until the walls of Silvermoon were in view. Then and only then would he allow this juggernaut to stop once more. The siege equipment would move up and attack plans would be laid out by Sylvanas who would know the best way to defeat the defenses of the city. And his traitor, Magister Dar'Khan would make his assault even easier by handing him the key to the city. Closer they moved towards the barrier, the scar growing ever wider and deeper as they approached, past the road that lead to Fairbreeze Village, and onward to The East Sanctum. By Arthas' calculations his army would reach the barrier within six hours.

Vespias had run her troops at a brisk pace and they now trotted past Stillwhisper Pond and the cheers from the city guards already reached their ears. Veron and Ves looked out of the viewing ports on the huge gate and finally saw Vespias…the Ranger-General of Silvermoon leading the survivors of many encounters with the scourge army towards the gates at Falconwing Square triumphantly. As the two men ran towards the square Vash joined them.

"What is going on?" she yelled at Ves, grabbing his arm and slowing him down. "What is all the rukus?"

"Your daughter!" he beamed proudly. "Your daughter is the cause as usual! Come! See!"

Vash exited the tunnel to the square just in time to see Vessy enter the courtyard, sitting tall and proud in the saddle and wearing the insignia of Ranger-General. She watched in awe as every single person snapped to attention and saluted her. The pride would nearly burst her heart when she watched her daughter slide down from the saddle, kneel and kiss the ground within the city. Behind her the king burst through the crowd along with his council. She watched as Vespias saluted him and nodded to the council and then as the king held her and then lifted her arm in triumph to a wildly ecstatic crowd. He started to usher the girl towards the spire when he turned and saw Vash and the look of relief in her eye. She watched as the king whispered into her daughter's ear and then pointed her towards her mother. She watched as the girl ran hard towards her, tears beginning to stream down her face as she literally leapt the last few feet and grabbed hold of her and held her tightly.

Vash and Vessy held each other letting go long enough for quick visual examinations before pulling each other tight again. The joyous reunion brought tears to most of the women in the square and a few of the men as well, Vesperis and Veron among them. As much as Vessy wanted to stay in her mother's arms, the safest place she had ever known, she felt the nagging tug of duty and knew she had to report to King Anasterian and work out the defense of Silvermoon. She turned to hug and kiss her father and brother and left instructions for them to get to the docks and find Colonel Nazgrim. He would know what to do with them. The Orc ships had returned to port only that morning having chased the Arathi Pirates a good distance out to sea. The Orc commander thought it best he return to port. He thought that if the ships for the scourge were here then the army couldn't be far away.

As Vessy thought about her report to the king she suddenly realized that her grandparents were not in the square. She wondered where they were and yet another silent tear fell from the girl's eyes. She was quite sure that she had shed more tears in the last two months than she had shed in her entire life. At least a small portion of them were for joy, she was grateful for that.

Arthas stopped at the last marker before the barrier, the Tranquil River that ran from the ocean and carried across Eversong Woods and into Lake Elrendar. Beyond the bridge stood the barrier, lethal to all who would try to enter now. He called for his apothecaries and they brought to him a cage filled with crows. Like carrier pigeons these crows would fly into the city as a signal to Dar'Khan to shut the barrier and begin the siege. His evil laughter filled the forest as he opened the cage and the crows took flight. Behind him Sylvanas cringed in fear at the atrocity she was about to commit. Of all that Arthas had done to her she would gladly endure for all eternity if it meant she wouldn't have to do the next thing he would tell her to do. She looked sadly at the barrier knowing it would soon be down and Arthas would be an hour away from destroying Silvermoon.

She looked down and her eyes caught sight of her hands. This was the first time she had looked at any part of herself and she saw they were white as chalk and slightly transparent. Her body was the same and her feet were simply not there. She was just floating. She quickly grabbed hold of a tabard she had found to cover her horrible body. Her nudity wasn't an issue but the twisted and torn skin that covered her terrified her. Long ragged rips that exposed bone and yet no blood. Boils and festering sores yet no fluids. She was completely dry inside, like a husk, withered and empty. She lifted a polished shield and looked at her face, and tears would have fallen if she had any to shed. Her face was twisted into a scowl, her eyes angry and her once full lips replaced by a thin frown. Her hair was unkempt and streaked with white along both temples. If one wanted to picture what negative emotions looked like they need look no further than her.

In the courtyard outside of Farstrider Square Dar'Khan looked up at the flock of cawing crows that suddenly swooped into the city and sped through the streets and alleyways searching for him. Discretely he walked towards the area that held the power crystals ready to perform his traitorous act and doom Silvermoon for his personal gain. Veron, who had taken his customary place on the walls close to the crystals, turned and looked out over the yard below. His eyes locked onto the magister and narrowed. He hated everything about this man and didn't trust him half as far as he could throw him. He turned back towards the area he was supposed to be watching for a moment and then back to the magister. To his horror he could see Dar'Khan placing small packages at the base of a few crystals and then stepping back and weaving a spell.

"STOP HIM!" he screamed as he raced down the steps towards the yard. "HE'S GOING TO DESTROY THE BARRIER! STOP HIM!"

Seconds later fire flew from the magister and explosions started going off one after another filling the entire area with an acrid sulfur smell and the shrill sound of crystals overloading and reaching an explosion point of their own. The first blast caught Veron in mid stride and sent him careening to the ground. The next two forced him to stay down covering his head as shards of razor sharp crystal flew in all directions cutting down civilians and soldiers alike. Dar'Khan had made it to the turn in the wall that separated the power yard from the Farstrider yard just in time as he knew he would and then turned and raced for the stairs that would lead to the tunnel and his freedom. He had calculated every step and knew exactly how long it would take. He hadn't counted on Veron chasing him and he didn't count on Captain Helios standing there with his sword in hand ready to take the traitor's head.

King Anasterian and Vespias pushed their way through the crowd towards the two men holding Dar'Khan. Vessy signaled for Bwemba and her druids to start tending the wounded in the power yard while she surveyed the damage. She wanted badly to put her hands on the traitor but knew that her killing him would not help. She turned to the king, sadness filling her face.

"The barrier is down your Majesty" she said softly. "Arthas will be at the gates within the hour."

Panic swept through the city like flames through a barn. It seemed like just a few seconds passed before the citizens were running in all directions, screaming as they tried to find things. Vespias looked at them incredulously. If they knew what she knew, what approached they would just go, no thoughts of salvaging any part of their former lives. She looked towards the docks and knew her father was smart enough to know better. She knew that he and her mother and sisters were safely aboard the heavily armed Orc galleon. She turned at looked at her brother and nodded towards the ship to which he shook his head firmly. He had a duty the same as she did.

Arthas had a duty as well and he rumbled towards it with increased speed every step of the way. He could see the upper reaches of the city, the top of Sunstrider Spire and a few other buildings. Their brightly colored rooftops glistened in the sun and the small flags hung loose, with no winds to lift them or to set them gently waving. "A perfect day for death" he thought as his machine drew to a stop just over one quarter mile away. With no thoughts of asking for surrender he waved his machines of destruction into place. Catapults, huge arrow launchers, and an ominous battering ram. Fully two hundred feet long and capped with an iron set of ram's horns it sat waiting for all the other weapons to weaken the door before it crashed through.

Arthas waved a hand and the first catapult launched a fiery ball of grease and wood towards the city, sailing over the wall and crashing into the buildings setting them on fire almost immediately. The siege of Silvermoon had begun.

Chapter 45:

Panic In The Streets

Panic ran rampant in the first few volleys from the siege engines into the city. The people of Silvermoon ran blindly towards the docks now and no longer interested in taking anything in particular. Vessy raced to the top of the wall and called for the archers to organize and go for vital targets. She noticed that the main force was not attacking the walls but concentrated back towards Stillwhisper Pond. She guessed Arthas was going over city placements and then she remembered the tunnel. She grabbed the two biggest city guards there on the wall and they raced down towards the tunnel with the ranger screaming instructions as she ran. Veron witnessed the scene from his post and made his way down to help. He grabbed two barrels of gunpowder as he raced along behind the trio and called for a few more to join him.

Just as Vessy reached the stairs of the tunnel the first scourge was ascending them. Her swords flashed briefly and the headless corpse fell back down the steps tripping up the increasing numbers behind him. The city pikemen were doing an admirable job at keeping the scourge from getting out of the tunnel and when Veron arrived with his friends they successfully pushed the fiends back into the tunnel. Vessy saw the barrels and ran down with a small bucket of pitch and a torch, dousing the first scourge she saw and then kicking him back into the crowd behind him before tossing the torch at him. When he burst into flame, in his panic he set two more ablaze. Vessy ordered the guards out and ran right behind them. Seconds later the burning undead fell into the two barrels of gunpowder and a massive explosion collapsed the Farstrider courtyard into the tunnel, effectively sealing it off.

With that threat closed the ranger general ran towards the gates at the opposite end of the city in Falconwing Square to see how they were holding out. She had sent Bwemba and her druids to that section of the wall and they were giving the undead all the trouble they wanted. Some of the druids called on winds to blind and hold back the invaders while others called for lightning strikes into the mobs and Bwemba herself was hurling massive green-hued balls of swirling fel energies at the few who managed to get past the other druid defenses. Her shadow hunters were on the walls firing their explosive arcane-laced arrows at the siege engines. They had more sense than to try to destroy the massive parts of the weapons that fired the projectiles. Instead they aimed at the legs and supports of the machines, toppling them one by one.

Likewise, the city cannons were doing considerable damage to the equipment as well as the never ending supply of undead. Vessy wished she could see Arthas, to see that smug look fall from his face. He thought he would crumble Silvermoon as if it were a house of cards, some kind of flimsy box and frame with nothing behind it. He didn't count on the resilience of its people who now helped the city guards by bringing the ammunitions up to them. He didn't count on the valor of its king who directed attacks from the ramparts with his men. And he certainly didn't count on the tenacity of a young farm girl who had a black arrow waiting for him whenever he decided to show his face.

Reports kept coming in to the lich and none of them said anything he wanted to hear. The city defenses were far more formidable than he was led to believe. Still, it was all just a delay and it was just a matter of time before everyone in the city knew it. His resources were almost endless while those in the city were finite. For every catapult they cut down three more were waiting to take its place and repair crews would have the damaged one ready in no time. He kept his own cannons quiet for now preferring the burning wooden balls of pitch and brimstone. The gunners in the city couldn't salvage them and shoot them back. For now he would keep his attacks relatively simple and he would wear down the people of the city. After all, with five Arathi ships in their harbor and the entire undead army at their gates, where could they go?

Vespias made her way to Veron's post and called the man down from the wall. He knew what was coming and he was prepared to fight it all the way.

"Don't try to order me off that wall Vessy!" he said as he got close enough for her to hear. "You might be miss hot shit to everyone else but you're just my sister to me!"

"You jug-headed dumb ass!" she responded, angry at his attitude. "If I give you an order you _will_ carry it out or I will have you _made_ to carry it out! When we're at dinner and there's no fucking fireballs flying over my head, then you're my brother. Right now you're just another wall monkey under my command! Do we understand each other now mister?"

Veron nodded, unaware that his sister had become such a hardass. He should have expected it but to actually hear it gave him a pause. He looked at his sister in a whole new light.

"Now listen to me." she said in a much softer tone. "Mom and Dad are safe on the Orc ship along with Winnie and Shira. When they come through that gate I want you to hightail your ass to a ship and get out. Don't fuck around Veron, get out!"

"Don't worry sis." he said. "I'll get down there. Just make sure you're right behind me OK?"

She hugged the young man and smiled while nodding yes and sent him back to his post. Just as she turned to bring her reports to the king she heard him yelling.

"HEY! YOU KISS YOUR MOTHER WITH THAT MOUTH?" he said with that famous boyish grin that always melted her heart.

She walked away smiling amid the slow destruction of Silvermoon. In all that was happening all she wanted was for her family to be safe and away from here. She didn't know if the prophecy would demand more from her and if it did she preferred it not be anyone from her family. The girl caught up with King Anasterian and gave him a full report on what her units were doing as well as the troll units and her "closing" of the tunnel. She informed the king she had the traitor under lock and key in the small city jail but requested he be taken to the spire and kept in chains there. This way he would have to survive the fall in order to escape. Anasterian agreed and the girl went off to secure her prisoner and prepare him for transfer.

Reports came back to Arthas that the Arathi ships had not made it to the harbor. The lich slammed his fist down and splintered the table under it. He had counted on those ships to be there to contain the city from behind, making sure no ships left. All his scouts knew for sure that a ship that was neither elven nor Arathi in construction sailed away towards the eastern access to the sea. Privately Sylvanas was overjoyed that so many things were going against him and she would have given anything to be able to say so. But she knew she had to be clever in this. She had to be smart and not let on that the hold over her was not as strong as they thought it was. Every second of the day and night when Arthas was not instructing her to do things she fought against the hold on her.

"This changes everything now!" hissed the lich through his cruel thin lips. "Now we must assault the city and crack it open quickly! Move all of the siege equipment up as well as the cannons! Aim the cannons at the gates and walls, not inside the city. Start aiming the siege arrows at the cannons on the wall and try to knock them off. Captain Marwyn, you are in charge of the gate at Falconwing Square. Captain Falric you have this gate dead ahead. Do not fail me on this!"

As the two death knights scrambled to implement their orders without delay the lich turned his attention to Sylvanas.

"And you my dear," he said in a raspy whisper "will lead me to the king and his council. Once there you will take your demons and banshees and kill every person left in the city. Men, women, children…I don't want to see one chest drawing breath."

Sylvanas nodded yes with a heavy heart. She was going to be the instrument of Arthas' rage against her people. She was going to make them pay for what she had done to him. Once more, if the banshee queen had any tears she would have shed them.

The guards on the walls began to shout and holler at the scourge below and yelling back that they were giving up and falling back. Faintly the words reached Vessy and she cursed as she ran towards a wall to see what was going on. She knew Arthas was not quitting unless he was dead. She was just wondering what trick he had up his sleeve now. It took less than five minutes for her to figure out. As she watched all of the massive machinery moving towards the walls along with the cannons moving up she knew what his plan was. She literally jumped from the wall and ran towards Bwemba to pull her from the walls. From there she would circle back around and yank Veron down and get them onto a ship with Anasterian. Then the army would hold the city for as long as they could.

As she raced through the streets she stopped several times to spread word to civilians to leave.

"ATTENTION!" she would yell, "ALL NON-MILITARY PERSONEL ARE TO GET TO THEIR SHIPS NOW! DO NOT WAIT! GO NOW! THE MILITARY HAS EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL!"

She hated to lie but a panic would only serve to make things more confusing and in turn make everyone move slower. She burst into Falconwing Square and yelled for Bwemba to get down and pull her druids from the walls. She quickly told the troll what was happening and ordered her to abandon the base along with her people.

The girl was not even waiting for replies. She was the person in charge, she was giving orders, and they damned well better be followed. She ran as fast as her feet could carry her towards Veron's post continuing to try and clear the people out of the city. They were all moving so slow she thought and she wanted to scream at them.

"MOVE YOUR ASSES YOU FUCKING COWS!" she wanted to yell. "ARTHAS IS COMING THROUGH THOSE FUCKING GATES AND HE'S HERE TO KILL YOU ALL! RUN!"

Finally she reached her brother's post only to find it empty. She searched the wall in a panic and wondered where he had gone. She didn't have the time to play these games.

"WHERE DID FIRSTLIGHT GO?" she yelled at another guard.

He shrugged and pointed in the direction of the ships which calmed Vespias down a good bit. She knew he was smart and that he probably saw the same thing she did and followed her orders. Next on her list was the king. Once she found him and got him onboard she could concentrate on what was about to happen. She ran towards the spire and halfway there she spotted the king helping to usher people towards the boats. Vessy careened towards him and took him roughly by the arm.

"Time to go Sire" she said as she tried to usher him along. "We'll take care of that. You need to get the ships out of the harbor."

"Unhand me General Firstlight!" snapped Anasterian. "You go sound your orders wherever you like young lady but you _will not_ order me around like some raw recruit! I need to get my people to safety. You need to get on those walls and give us the time we need to do just that! Now move out!"

Vessy moved away from the king in awe. She had never seen the true courage of the man before. She had heard all the stories but she figured all these years had softened him and he would be on the boats before anybody.

Chapter 46:

The Third Payment

Outside the walls the entire siege collection of Arthas stood poised and aimed and waiting his command. When his hand dropped it was as if the entire great alabaster wall that surrounded and protected the good citizens of Silvermoon shuddered. The heat from the blast scorched the walls and turned them from the alabaster white that gleamed in the sun into a soot black, scared remnant of some forgotten glory. The great black doors shook violently as the cannon balls hit them, the hinges set in the stone loosening and chips of mortar falling to the ground below. Again the command was sent and again the volley shook the city. People running for the boats fell as did many of the guards. The gate at Falconwing Square blew from its hinges and fell in a burning heap by the side while swarms of undead scourge began to sweep in. The guards abandoned their wall posts to stem the tide of invaders there while Arthas prepared for the third volley.

Another sundering charge hit the walls and the great black and gold gate broke open, one side falling from its hinges crushing the people who were running past it. Just as Vespias was running back towards Falconwing the third volley had hit knocking her to the ground hard. She looked first towards the broken gate at the Square and saw the guards forming their wall and holding strong. When she glanced behind her she couldn't believe her eyes; Arthas was walking calmly through the destroyed black gate while his death knights slaughtered every person they could catch. She pulled herself to her feet and began to run towards the lich who stood with his back to her directing the carnage like a conductor directs an orchestra.

Both swords were out, their razor-sharp edges catching the sun and gleaming as she ran into the courtyard of the gate, running fast and jumping from a low crate to a taller one and then launching herself high into the air, both blades down and aimed for the lich's neck. In mid leap something hit her, smashing her hard into the cobblestone of the courtyard knocking the air from her lungs. Her head spun and she struggled to breath and around her wrists she could feel the icy grip of death. Her whole body seemed covered in that cold feeling and she struggled to move from under it. Her eyes focused and looked into a face, Twisted and pained the visage was terrifying and yet familiar. The eyes…Vespias looked into the eyes and her own sprung wide as she recognized Sylvanas.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed as she saw who held her. "DEAR ELUNE, WHAT HAS HE DONE TO YOU?"

The banshee that gripped her swiftly moved her icy grip from the girl's wrists to her throat. The cold fingers squeezed tighter and as she looked down into the girl's eyes she felt something inside her take control. The dead hands stopped squeezing and the girl choked under her as she tried to catch her breath yet again. The grim visage of death studied her face for a moment and then, almost tenderly brushed the hair from the girl's face. Sylvanas tried to speak but no words lifted from her dry, dead throat. Her hand released the girl and she quickly flew off towards the carnage in the square.

"RANGERS ASSEMBLE ON ME!" screamed King Anasterian. "MOVE GENERAL FIRSTLIGHT TO THE SPIRE! GATHER THE COUNCIL AS WELL! STAND STRONG!"

Vessy felt strong hands lifting her and carry her towards the spire. Her eyes remained locked on Sylvanas who was tearing through the guards in Falconwing, leaving a trail of bodies in her wake. When she could no longer see her she turned her eyes towards the spire and could see her rangers engaging the death knights around its base, Anasterian himself hurling fire from his sword as they fell to his prowess in battle one by one.

"Put me down." she said to the men holding her. "I can stand now and we need fighters, not bearers."

The two rangers released her and one of them handed her back one of her swords. On still unsteady feet she threw herself into the battle and she felt the tide turning as the knights fell quickly before them. Behind her she glimpsed the rest of the rangers returning with three councilmen who huddled timidly against the wall of the spire. They had magic that could be used but too many years of opulent and carefree living had robbed them of the courage to use it. They were just pathetic, scared old men now and Vessy hated that her rangers had to risk their lives to save them. She turned her face once more to look at where the king was and another look of horror swept over her.

Arthas had moved towards Anasterian, Frostmourn held high as he rushed in to attack. The mage warrior spun under the foul blade and sent a pillar of fire smashing into the lich, sending him sprawling to the floor. Behind the king two death knights rushed to attack but the well placed arrows of Vessy and the ranger next to her dropped them before they covered half the distance. Arthas regained his footing quickly and hurled a spell of frost at the king who was visibly shaken when it hit him. His skin lost color and he shivered a moment before the flames from his sword exploded in a blinding flash removing the enchantment from him. When the light faded Arthas was already upon the king, Frostmourn smashing from above the king and shards of ice spilling from it as the king's sword, the great Felo'malorn rose to meet it with flame causing a hissing vapor to cover the combatants. Vespias had an arrow notched but all she could see were silhouettes of the two men.

Within the mist Arthas swung his sword as hard as he could and when it met the steel of the king's sword it shattered it, flaming bits of the sword scattered on the ground. Anasterian looked at the lich in shock as Frostmourn swung around again and sliced through the king's armor and his stomach. The shocked elf struggled to stand, his hand trying to hold his entrails inside the cut. He looked at Arthas and then at Vespias as he fell to his knees and finally gave up and slumped backwards the now cold steel of Felo'malorn's shattered pieces under him. In one fluid motion Arthas cut through the three huddled councilmen and then turned towards Vespias. The girl was frightened but knew she had to face him. She circled him quickly, testing her speed against his. Her back was to the docks and she could hear the sound of her rangers running towards her.

"KILL HER MY LORD!" yelled Dar'Khan who had managed to escape from the shackles and guards who were to escort him to the spire. "KILL THE BITCH SO WE CAN MOVE ON AND SECURE THE SHIPS!"

"I plan to do just that old friend." replied the lich calmly. "But first allow me to pay you."

Vespias watched with a certain degree of satisfaction as Arthas pushed Frostmourn cleanly through the ferret-like magister who took the look of shock on his face to the underworld with him, his reward for being a traitor. The ranger unit had reached the pair and now they pushed Vespias behind them as they stepped towards Arthas.

"IS THERE NO END TO THESE INSECTS WHO COME AT ME?" he bellowed. "YOU CANNOT STOP ME FROM CLAIMING WHAT IS MINE! YOU WILL FAIL!"

He spun as he roared, sending the broken bodies of the rangers in all directions. As he turned to Vessy she felt strong hands grab her and pull her towards the open doorway of the stables next to the spire. She turned to look into the face of Veron and some of the city guards who were still alive. Before she could say anything the door disintegrated from its hinges as Arthas burst in. Veron swung his mace and caught the lich full in the side of his head and sent him crashing back out, taking a bit of the frame and wall with him. The guard held their ground while Arthas got back to his feet, groggy but unharmed.

"Finish them!" he told the death knights who rushed to his side. "Bring me the body of the girl!"

Inside the stable Vespias frantically tried to break away a section of the wall that had been damaged in the attack to give them an escape route. The clashing of swords caused her to turn and look. The guard was holding their ground well, stacking the bodies of death knights in the narrow doorway as they tried to enter. Suddenly a rumbling sound shook the wall as one of Arthas' deadly constructs threw his hook at it and tore it out from under the roof. Scourge swarmed into the bigger opening and attacked the group of guards. Vessy rushed towards them with only her bow, smashing the hard bone against the blindly charging undead. From the corner of her eye she saw Veron suddenly yanked from the building, the huge bloody hook ripping into his back as he screamed at the blinding pain that gripped him. Vespias looked on in horror as the beast hit him across the head with the wooden club he carried and she saw her brother's helmet dent as blood and brain spilled from it.

"VERON!" she screamed as she reached his slumped body. "VERON! VERON!"

"HE'S DEAD!" yelled the sergeant. "DON'T MAKE HIS SACRIFICE FOR NOTHING! GET TO THE DOCKS!"

The guardsmen had spilled out almost right behind Veron and drew the massive construct's attention away from the body. Vespias turned to run and saw a host of scourge coming at her. She fell back into the stable and prepared to take as many as she could before they swarmed her and carried her body triumphantly back to Arthas. The undead misfits charged in at her as she swung her brother's mace at them, smashing and caving in their heads as she fought desperately to go on living. Suddenly the room filled with a blue-tinted hue and a swirling doorway appeared. Two black arrows flew from it and exploded at a section of the wall that collapsed the roof down into the rushing scourge while a soft pair of women's hands yanked her into the warm blue swirls. Moments later she found herself on the deck of one of the Orc ships.

"Dis be da one Jania" said Vol'Jin in a cackle. "Look like we got dere just in time. You OK little sister?"

Vessy slowly lifted her head towards the people standing above her suddenly aware of the searing pain in her right eye as the soft rays of the setting sun flashed into it.

"Thrall's balls!" exclaimed the ship's captain. "Get this elf down to the medical room now!"

The young general lifted her hand and gingerly touched the area around her eye and felt the warm blood that was beginning to clot on her cheek and then the jagged piece of metal jutting from the corner of her eye. The comforting mist of unconsciousness claimed the girl after that mercifully and the Orc shipmen carried her limp body down to the medical area below decks.

As the big galleon sped through the waters and finally drew abreast of another galleon Vol'Jin made his way to the railing. There on the other ship Vesperis and Vash, the twins and Kasi all stood, frozen in fear until the big troll raised a thumb up in the air. He figured it was better that they thought both of their children made it off safely. In such a battle it was fortunate that he and Jania Proudmoore were able to save at least one of them. He was happy he had persuaded the mage to accompany him back to Silvermoon so she could witness the destruction herself. She was the only hope that he had of making the alliance know the menace that the word faced. Now that she had seen the destruction of Silvermoon, one of the oldest cities on the planet, and the utter lack of regard for life, she would not rest until King Mangi, King Varian and Tyrande Whisperwind all vowed to commit their vast resources and armies to help combat this menace.

Below the decks the chief medical officer worked feverishly on trying to save the young girl's eye but a ship rolling on the open sea's waves is no place for such a delicate surgery. He managed to get the piece out and examining it he saw it was part of the bloody mace the girl had in her hands when she arrived. Her eye was damaged, no doubt about that but he had done a good job of extracting the metal and then sewing it closed. The rest was up to the girl now, if she had the will, the tenacity to fight against the infections that were sure to set in then there was a small chance the eye would work again albeit in a very limited way.

If she had the tenacity….

Chapter 47:

The Sin'dorei

_**By the light, by the light of the sun**_

_**Children of the blood**_

_**Our enemies are breaking through**_

_**Children of the blood**_

_**By the light**_

_**Failing children of the blood**_

_**They are breaking through**_

_**O' children of the blood**_

_**By the light of the sun**_

_**Failing children of the blood**_

_**They are breaking through**_

_**O' children of the blood**_

_**By the light of the sun**_

_**The sun **_

_An ancient Elven lament_

Vespias sat up in her bed in the medical unit, clean bandages wrapped around her head and covering her right eye. The throbbing had finally stopped and the convoy of ships was all together now under the protection of the Orc galleons. Vespias looked over a report handed in by Captain Helios. By his estimation only ten percent of the citizens in the city had been saved. Arthas blocked the docks off and all who remained were slaughtered. It seems he had purged yet another city. He commandeered the few ships still left and carried his army to Quel'Danas and razed the island and destroyed the Sunwell, leaving a plume of smoke from the burning cities rising to the sky.

"Then I have failed my people." she said sadly as she looked up from the report. "Despite all my efforts I failed them. I cost them everything including their lives. I lost everything dear to me and the prophecy did not come true."

"No Vespias" said Bwemba taking the girl's hand. "If not for you then all da elves be dead now. You robbed Arthas of da genocide he wanted so badly. An' da prophecy…da trolls already be writin' songs an' tellin' stories bout you, givin' our people da will an' strength to carry on. You saved da people an' you fulfilled da prophecy."

When she was able to walk about the ship the thankful eyes of the survivors told her what Bwemba had said was right. Many bowed to her and women curtseyed, baffling the young elf until Vol'Jin reminded her that as Ranger-General and the king being dead, she was the only ruler the scattered elves had.

"No, there's Prince Kael'thas." she said in protest. "He's the rightful heir to the throne, not me."

"Maybe dat so," philosophized the troll "but until he show up den you be da king…err…queen. Like it or not you be in charge now."

Vessy thought about that for a moment and then with Vol'Jin's aid she made her way to the ship's Captain.

"Captain," she enquired "how far are we from Silvermoon?"

"Three days out." he replied gruffly and eyed the elf suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"

"I want you to turn around and bring us back" she said matter of factly. "Arthas will be long gone by the time we get back. All we'll have to deal with are a few scattered scourge. I need to get back into that city Captain."

The young Ranger-General walked out of the Orc's quarters amid his protests confidant that her wishes would be carried out. Jania had left or she would have simply asked the mage to open her portals but the only way back now was by ship. Sure enough after hurried signals to the lead galleon the fleet of ships gradually turned and headed back to the war-torn city. Several of the people protested to Vespias and she understood their fear and calmed them by explaining that Arthas was indeed gone and that they needed to reclaim their goods and more importantly, bury their dead.

She sat sullen and preoccupied by thoughts of Veron for the duration of the ship's return. She wondered how she would tell her mother and not feel her own heart break as her mother's surely would. Right now she longed for her mother's loving arms to hold her, her father's warm smile that always told her everything would be alright. She wanted to hear her sisters bickering over everything in the house and to feel Kasi's big head rubbing against her and his huge body breathing next to her like some behemoth guardian. She wanted many things; she wanted Nor and Sylvanas and Veron to be alive to greet her at the docks, and Silvermoon to be the bright city of promise it had always been and she wanted her own home, nestled in the woods to be waiting for her. She wondered if the prince was aware of what happened and why he wasn't there. He was in Dalaran where a thousand mages lived and trained. He could have gotten a portal opened and been in the battle with those thousand mages and maybe turned the tide. She would have words with him when she saw him and get the answers to the questions that gnawed at her.

Vol'Jin gently shook the girl awake as the ships drew close enough to the city for the people on board to see what was left. The docks still smoldered in places as did many of the buildings while plumes of dark black smoke rose from the hot spots. The smell of rotting corpses had enticed countless numbers of crows and gulls in for the feast and she imagined rats as well. The ship's captain brought the ship to a dead stop and dropped anchor, refusing to get any closer till his scouts told him Arthas was indeed gone. Looping around behind them a second galleon moved towards what was left of Quel'Danas to make sure no scourge remained there as well. Vessy looked through a small telescope at the city and could see no movement other than the birds and knew she would be in the city in a matter of hours. Behind her she could hear the older elven women softly singing "Anar'alah belore, Sin'dorei", "By the Light of the Sun, Children of the Blood".

They certainly were the children of the blood now. They had come very close to being wiped from the face of Azeroth and the blood of a great many stopped flowing so that they might live. The children of the blood. Sin'dorei. The words echoed and rebounded all through Vespias' mind as the ships, satisfied there was no sign of the attackers moved closer to the docks and the people felt the rise of anticipation. Vespias was the first to set foot on the docks and back into the destruction that had once been the most beautiful city in all of Azeroth. As the others disembarked Vash ran to her daughter and held her, crying at the joy of having her daughter in her arms and the sorrow of having her son in death's cold grip. She watched her father walking slowly towards the area Vessy had pointed out, where he would find his son. She watched him bend down and retrieve her bow and sword. She watched his head swivel as he searched the ground but his son was not there. Vessy noted that a good many of her rangers and city guards were not here. She knew their fate and kept it to herself. She refused to believe her brother and all the rest were on their way to Acherus.

She looked at the faces of the people around her as they walked in shock through the rubble looking for little mementos of their former lives like clothes or armor…she watched an older woman walking through the rocks carrying an old rocking chair. They needed direction.

"PEOPLE OF SILVERMOON!" she yelled. "GATHER TO ME NOW! LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY!"

She watched as the people all moved to her and once the crowd had settled she looked them in the eyes.

"ON THIS DAY, HERE IN THE RUINS OF OUR HOME," she began "STANDING IN THE BLOOD OF OUR FALLEN WE HAVE TRULY BECOME SIN'DOREI! WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE BLOOD! THE BLOOD OF THE MANY, MANY FALLEN HEROES SUPPORTS US. WE WILL REBUILD THE CITY WITH THE STONES AT OUR FEET AND THEIR BLOOD IN THE MORTAR! SILVERMOON WILL RISE ONCE MORE BUT THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER HIGH ELF WITHIN ITS WALLS! THE HIGH ELVES ARE DEAD! WE ARE THE SIN'DOREI FROM NOW ON! WE ARE BLOOD ELVES! WE CARRY HEROES BLOOD AS OUR LEGACY NOW! AND AS THIS CITY RISES ONCE AGAIN WE SPIT IN ARTHAS' EYE! HE COULD NOT KILL US OFF BEFORE AND HE WILL NEVER GET THE CHANCE TO TRY AGAIN! WE ARE UNITED MORE THAN EVER! WE ARE BLOOD ELVES!"

The roar of the assembled elves shook the ruins around them, pride replacing fear. The girl had willed her tenacity on the people and they had accepted it.

As she walked through the city she paused at the familiar site of her quiver lying there in the rubble. As she picked it up, the eyepiece that Nor had given her dropped out and as she held it in her hand she could feel him with her. Him, and Sylvanas, and Veron all holding her, proud of her and of who she had become. Behind her several blue portals formed and Prince Kael'thas stepped through with a cadre of mages around him. From the next portal stepped Lor'themar Theron and Halduran Brightwing also with a cadre of mages. Vespias walked towards them in disgust.

"Prince Kael'thas." she said not even trying to disguise her feelings towards him. "I am Ranger-General Vespias Firstlight. Your father has died trying to defend the city. A great number of the city guards died defending it as well. Of the citizens, only ten percent still live. Why did you not come to your city's aid? To your father's aid?"

"Do not presume you can lecture me girl." he said narrowing his eyes at her. "I answer to Anasterian alone. As for the city, it is under the leadership of Regent Lord Theron and as for your rank, you will relinquish it to Halduran Brightwing."

Vespias looked at the prince and laughed in his face. Of all the pompous, dim-witted asses she had ever met in her life Kael'thas made all of the others pale next to him. She deftly removed her insignia and tossed them on the ground at his feet and turned and walked away. The prince called for her to stop three times before he ordered the mages to stop her. As they stepped forward an angry mob of people blocked her from them and caused the prince to accept her dismissal as it happened and not pursue any further retribution.

Back on board the Orc galleon Vespias and her family, along with Vol'Jin and Bwemba and the survivors of the troll army silently set sail for Orgrimmar and left the blood elves in the care of their new leaders while they would get a well-deserved rest.

**Epilogue**

Almost one year passed since that day in the streets of Silvermoon. Vespias sat in the Wyvern's Tail, a local watering hole in the city of Orgrimmar. She wore her familiar brown and black Colonels armor, still bearing the stains of her beloved Nor's blood. Her twin elven swords now hung at her hips and in her hand was the ever familiar Bone bow. Her body had healed and her eye was at about seventy-five percent of what it had been. Covering it full time now was the goblin-engineered eye piece that Nor gave her. True to her words so long ago it had come in handy.

Her parents now lived a peaceful life on Thunder Bluff of all places, her father citing the Tauren's peaceful ways and reverence of the land as his reasons. The Tauren were a very large almost minotaur race. They resembled bulls and cows but were very nice people. Her grandmother had survived the ordeal but sadly her grandfather had not. The old woman now resided in the almost rebuilt Silvermoon with Winaestra. Of the three surviving children she was the only one to return to Quel'Thalas to live there. She was the prime supplier of Hawkstriders for the city and was doing quite well for herself. Vashira was, at last report, in a camp in the jungles of Un'goro Crater searching for a portal said to lead to a paradise in the center of the frozen continent of Northrend.

"So what are your plans now Vespias?" asked the newly promoted General Nazgrim as he looked at the girl over the rim of his glass of ale. "More adventuring I imagine? Or maybe off to Outlands to learn the new ways under Kael'thas?"

"I wouldn't spit on the false prince if he was on fire Nazgrim. He let his people die and now he is leading them to more destruction. Not to mention he claimed renaming the elves was his idea! No, not this time old friend" she said looking into her own glass. "I hear Arthas has gone to Northrend and has taken the helm to himself and is now the Lich King. He always was too ambitious for his own good. Now he'll have every adventurer on Azeroth chasing his ass. Unless I get to him first. You know, I could use a good strong warrior to help me along."

As Nazgrim contemplated her offer Kasi lifted himself from the floor of the bar and stretched before walking to the door and peeing on the frame. The smell blasted the nostrils of the patrons and Vessy laughed.

"You have your warrior right there!" Nazgrim laughed. "Not even an undead king could stand up to that! Take care of yourself Vespias Firstlight. Make sure you come back here in one year's time so we can share another good Orcish ale, and you can tell me more of your stories."

An hour later Vespias was standing on a platform high above the city waiting for a zeppelin to dock the only man in her life, the loyal Kasi by her side. Once she boarded it her next stop would be a place called Warsong Hold on the Borean Tundra. Once there she would try to find a group of adventurers and make her way to the Icecrown Citadel and a long overdue meeting with Arthas one last time.

**FINI…for now!**


End file.
